ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The impact of climate change and human activity on water resources vulnerability is a challenging issue with widespread concern globally. It is also the key of water security evaluation and adaptation management issues in the national sustainable development of China. Especially in North China, water shortages and related environmental degradation are major issues the country is facing. This study proposed a method applied to water pressure evaluation to represent water vulnerability as a function of people per flow unit of one million cubic meters per year, water use to availability ratio, and per capita water use. The levels of water vulnerability for five main river basins in North China are assessed and the impact of climate change and human activity are considered for Hai River Basin in which the most serious water vulnerability occurs. The situation of water vulnerability is very serious under climate change and socio-economic development to 2050 in Hai river. The results show that rising water demands greatly outweigh greenhouse warming in defining the state of global water systems in 2050. Consideration of direct human impacts on global water supply remains a poorly articulated but potentially important facet of the larger global change question.
