Climate Change and the Water Cycle: Nature’s Forgotten Climate Solution
- Rachel Bailleau
- Sep 3
- 6 min read
Updated: Sep 27
We often think about climate change in terms of carbon. And yes, we absolutely need to stop emitting so much carbon dioxide. We also need to draw down what is already in the atmosphere and store it safely in soils and trees. But there’s another powerful force shaping our climate: water.
From the clouds above us to the rivers that flow through our cities and the moisture locked in soil beneath our feet, water is essential to life on earth. The way it moves through landscapes determines how stable our climate is and how much biodiversity our ecosystems can support. Without a healthy water cycle, we cannot tackle climate change or reverse biodiversity loss.
Here’s the hopeful part: when we work with water, we can heal both land and climate. We can bring back endangered species from the brink, turn deserts into fertile valleys, and even lift millions of people out of poverty. Let’s take a closer look at the water cycle, how it works, and how restoring it can secure a healthy, balanced climate for us all.
The Large Water Cycle vs. The Small Water Cycle
The large water cycle is the one we learned about in school. Water evaporates from the oceans, forms clouds, and eventually falls as rain.
But there is also a small water cycle, a local loop that is often overlooked. When it rains, some water sinks into the soil. Plants draw it up through their roots and release it back into the air through tiny pores in their leaves. This process, called transpiration, combines with evaporation from the soil to create rising moisture that forms clouds.
This small cycle acts like the land’s own breathing system. It cools the air, keeps rainfall more regular, and nourishes fertile soils. When vegetation is strong, this cycle doesn’t just recycle local rain; it also helps draw in moisture from the ocean-fed large cycle, anchoring big weather systems over the land.
When trees and vegetation disappear, the small water cycle weakens. First, the rain becomes patchier. Over time, even the ocean rains may pass by, leaving the land drier and hotter. Restoring the small cycle is so powerful because it revives both local rains and the larger flow of water that landscapes depend on.
The Watershed Death Spiral
Ecological designer Zach Weiss describes what happens when the water cycle breaks down as the watershed death spiral.
It begins when rain cannot soak into the land. Perhaps the soil is compacted from farming, grazed bare, or sealed under concrete in our cities. Instead of sinking in, water rushes away, causing flash floods. With no water stored in the soil, drought follows. Less vegetation means less moisture released into the air, which means less rain in the future.
It is a downward spiral. But spirals can also turn the other way. When we capture rain where it falls, we set off a positive spiral of renewal. More water in the ground means healthier plants, which release more moisture into the air, attracting more rain. More rain means more life.
And it gets even more powerful:
Cooling the land: Vegetation provides shade, moist soils act like natural air-conditioning, and rivers carry cool air across landscapes. Together they bring down local temperatures.
Storing carbon: As plants grow, they draw down carbon through photosynthesis and store it in leaves, roots, and soils. While the water cycle cools the land, vegetation helps reduce the greenhouse effect globally.
Restoring the water cycle does not just prevent floods or droughts. It cools landscapes, draws carbon from the air, and stabilises the climate at scale. And it all begins with one simple shift: making sure rain soaks in and becomes life, rather than running away as a flood.
Water Restoration in India
Let's take a practical example of water restoration at scale. In India, a doctor named Rajendra Singh discovered that many of his patients’ health problems came from a lack of clean water. Instead of only giving medicine, he turned to the land.
Working with villagers, he revived an ancient practice of building johads: small, crescent-shaped earthen dams that catch and hold rainwater. These allow water to soak into the soil and refill underground stores.
The results were astonishing. More than seven rivers that had been dry for decades began to flow again. Wells refilled. Villages turned green, crops thrived, and wildlife returned. With water restored, farming became possible again, livelihoods improved, and many families were lifted out of poverty. Singh became known as “The Waterman of India.”
His story shows what is possible when people become water stewards instead of water wasters. And it is not unique to India. Across the world, communities are restoring watersheds, proving that deserts can bloom again and that rural life can be renewed.
Earth Smiles in Africa
Another powerful example comes from sub-Saharan Africa. The charity Justdiggit is helping communities revive traditional methods of slowing water down and letting it soak into the soil.
For generations, farmers in places like Niger and Burkina Faso have dug half-moons and zai pits to capture rain. Justdiggit is scaling up this wisdom with local people through semi-circular earth bunds, sometimes called earth smiles.
Each half-moon is dug by hand with simple tools, curved to catch rainwater that would otherwise run off. The trapped water seeps into the ground, feeding grasses, trees, and crops. Sometimes a tree seedling is planted directly in the bund, giving it the moisture it needs to grow strong.
This restores the small water cycle. Moist soils support vegetation, vegetation releases moisture into the air, and that rising vapour helps form clouds and attract more rain. Small loops of water build resilience and even influence larger weather systems.
The impact has been enormous. In Kenya and Tanzania, communities have dug hundreds of thousands of bunds, regreening tens of thousands of hectares. Rivers and springs are flowing again, wildlife is returning, and families once forced to leave are finding new hope on their land.
This is water restoration at its most inspiring: ancient knowledge meeting modern action to heal landscapes, cool the climate, and support thriving communities.
Trees Don’t Just Need Rain—They Bring It
Here is a myth worth flipping on its head. We often think deserts have no trees because they lack rain. But in many places it is the other way around: they lack rain because they lost their trees.
When the small water cycle is broken, plants and soils can no longer release enough moisture into the air to attract rainfall from the oceans. The skies pass over without stopping.
We cannot command the rain to fall, but we can help landscapes call it back. By planting trees and native plants, and by digging natural ponds that hold the little rain that does fall, we can begin to mend the cycle.
Forests act like giant water pumps. Their leaves release moisture that forms clouds and attracts rain. Cut down a forest, and the rains fade. Bring it back, and the skies respond.
What We Can Do at Home: Becoming Water Stewards
It is not only governments or big projects that can restore water cycles. We can all play a part. This is not just about using less water, though that matters. It is about restoring the local water cycle by capturing rain where it falls and using it wisely.
Here are some simple ways to begin:
Rainwater harvesting: A barrel at the end of a gutter can collect hundreds of litres during a single downpour. Perfect for watering your garden later.
Digging a pond: A small garden pond can hold rainwater, slow runoff, and create a refuge for frogs, insects, and birds. Ponds do not just store water, they create small oases of life.
Rain gardens: These are shallow dips planted with grasses and flowers that love water. When it rains, they catch runoff from the roof or street, slowing it down and letting it soak into the soil instead of racing into drains. The result is less flooding and a garden alive with colour and pollinators.
Everyday innovations: At the Eden Project in Cornwall, rainwater is captured and used to flush toilets. Imagine if every school, office, and home did the same. It would transform our relationship with water and save a fortune in bills.
Soil as a sponge: Healthy soil holds far more water than compacted ground. By mulching, composting, and planting perennials, we can turn soil into a sponge that captures rainfall and keeps plants thriving even in dry spells.
Every drop we hold on to is part of a bigger story: slowing water down, keeping it close to the land, and setting off a positive spiral.
Final Thoughts on Climate Change and the Water Cycle
Many regions now swing between long droughts and devastating floods. This is not nature’s plan. It is the result of broken water cycles.
By slowing rainwater down and giving it time to soak into the ground, we refill underground aquifers. These natural water tanks then feed soils, forests, streams, and rivers. Instead of wild extremes, the land begins to hold a steady, nourishing balance.
The hopeful message is this: we can restore water. And when we restore water, we also restore biodiversity, stabilise the climate, and create landscapes where people can thrive again.
It does not require vast technology. It only requires human hands, local wisdom, and the will to work with nature’s cycles.
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