ITU‐T's Technical Reports and Specifications 511 Source: World Resources Institute (2014).20 Figure 4 – Projecting water stress 3.6 Climate change Data from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)21 climate change is projected to alter the frequency and magnitude of both floods and droughts. The impact is expected to vary from region to region. Some studies suggest that flood hazards will increase over more than half of the globe, in particular in central and eastern Siberia, parts of Southeast Asia including India, tropical Africa, and northern South America, but decreases are projected in parts of northern and Eastern Europe, Anatolia, central and East Asia, central North America, and southern South America (limited evidence, high agreement). These impacts are expected to impinge on water storage, decrease water quality and threaten urban water infrastructures, while disrupting service and increasing energy costs for operation and maintenance at both the local and the regional levels.