The pace of human-induced change in large rivers: stresses, resilience and vulnerability to extreme events

The world’s great rivers are threatened by a range of anthropogenic stresses - climate change being just one - that are driving a major sustainability crisis. As rivers react to these stressors, declining resilience makes them more vulnerable to extreme events, amplifying their effects and driving system change from which there may be no recovery. Future governance must recognise both the rate of change associated with singular and compound anthropogenic stressors, and the potential for extreme events to transgress sustainability thresholds.