Forests and other vegetated ecosystems assist the production of drinkable water by facilitating the infiltration of rainfall and snowfall into the ground, where water either moves through the saturated soil zone to supply streams and other surface waters or infiltrates further to recharge groundwater aquifers . Globally, 4 billion people depend on forested watersheds for drinking water . Chapter 4 assesses the physical science of water supply, including precipitation, runoff and hydrology as well as the social aspects of human water use. This section assesses the ecological aspects of risks to freshwater supplies for people.
IPCC
Climate Change 2022: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability
IPCC Report