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New Paper: Hydro-Diplomacy: Strengthening Foreign Policy for Transboundary Waters
A new paper, “The Rise of Hydro-Diplomacy: Strengthening Foreign Policy For Transboundary Waters” was recently released at World Water Week by Climate Diplomacy, a collaborative effort of the Federal Foreign Office and Berlin-based think tank adelphi.
The paper argues that foreign policy makers can and should do more to address transboundary water governance, and that by doing so it could enhance intersecting foreign policy interests. It includes multiple detailed examples of where transbounday water governance can be improved, and highlights the role climate change will play in contributing to water stress, stating: (more…)
Look to Variability, Not Just Scarcity, for Water Conflict Clues
This is a cross-post from the New Security Beat, written by Cullen Hendrix.
Opportunity Costs: Evidence Suggests Variability, Not Scarcity, Primary Driver of Water Conflict
Nearly 1 billion people lack reliable access to clean drinking water today. A report by the Water Resources Group projects that by 2030 annual global freshwater needs will reach 6.9 trillion cubic meters – 64 percent more than the existing accessible, reliable, and sustainable supply. This forecast, while alarming, likely understates the magnitude of tomorrow’s water challenge, as it does not account for the impacts of climate change. (more…)
Creating Climate-Secure Water-Sharing Treaties
In light of the recent news of armed bandits demanding water in India, and on-going water tension in Iraq and Syria, we are cross-posting the below post from Thomas Currant at the New Security Beat titled “Climate Change Will Test Water-Sharing Agreements.” The post looks at a working paper by a group of researchers at the World Bank, “Climate Change, Conflict, and Cooperation: Global Analysis of the Resilience of International River Treaties to Increased Water Variability.” Neil Bhatiya, with The Century Foundation, also wrote a good summary of the working paper, “Designing an Ideal Water-Sharing Treaty.” (more…)
New “Water Security” Four-Volume Set
Sage Publications is offering Water Security: Four-Volume Set edited by Anders Jägerskog, Stockholm International Water Institute, Ashok Swain, Uppsala University, Joakim Öjendal University of Gothenburg, with contributions from some of the best water minds out there (it’s pricey, but very good). Given the severe drought in California, the floods on the U.S.-Canada border, and the precarious situation of water control in Iraq, there are bound to be timely and interesting articles within the set. In addition to these volumes, we’d recommend researching the contributing authors, as many of their other writings are available online and worth a read.
Water security, and specifically water security in the context of a changing climate, is a critical issue that deserves more attention in both the research and policy fields. These volumes are an important contribution in this space.