Geopolitica del medio ambiente: Cambio climatico y recursos hidricos. Aproximacion al caso de Canada

Climate change and its impacts on societies, ecosystems and water resources represent one of the most important environmental, social and economic challenges today. The case study of Canada and Quebec aims at discussing climate change and its effects on water resources at the regional level. These effects occur randomly and are geographically distinct. Besides, they can be either negative or positve as they create opportunities in some sectors. climate change issue thus appeals to manage water resources adequately and encourage to make decision and elaborate policies in the medium and long term. It is crucial to consider climate change into a sounded water resources management so as to minimize the degree of their impacts and ensure the sustainability of water resources

A lock-in Transboundary Water Management Regime: the case of the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin

The study of the Rio Grande/Bravo (RGB) Basin water management demonstrates how the United States (US) and Mexico have consolidated a transboundary water regime based on groundwater sharing. Despite the lack of water management integration and common sustainable practices, both countries have succeeded in sharing groundwater resources in the past, but not for long. The transboundary water regime in RGB Basin is based on fixed groundwater extractions which do not match the ever increasing water demands and current adjustments for human and environmental needs, and the potential future natural conditions for a sustainable river system. The aim of this paper is to discuss that despite the fact that the US – Mexico water regime has given good results in terms of water allocation; the system is imperfect due to a lack of consideration of current and future environmental, economic and socio-political drivers, as well as seeing the system as a whole, promoting a conjunctive use of surface water and groundwater. Findings of this study are based on a qualitative interview study conducted with stakeholders in the RGB Basin and an analysis of historic water demands. Our sample included 54 respondents across the basin, they addressed a multitude of concerns in the context of environmental problems, fragmented water management, and citizen participation. This presentation elaborates on three key questions: (1) How the RGB water allocation regime can last with fixed water demands and without adapting to current changes in natural conditions? (2) What is the impact of this regime in the river ecosystem? (3) Does the RGB Basin water regime reflect a lock in situation that is blocking changes toward new water management practices? If so, how stakeholders can promote changes in the decision-making process? The situation of the RGB water regime can be explained through the concept of long-term predominance which results in a path-dependent process. This process helps to address sustained persistence and processes of institutions leading to a lock-in state. The RGB water regime needs major transformations, specifically in considering environmental, economical, and socio-political variables in groundwater management across the river basin, as well as the conjunctive use of surface and groundwater. A list of recommendations to enhance and optimize current water management regime is presented with a discussion of possibilities of dissolving binational organizational paths

Realidad o quimera de los futuros conflictos hídricos: el caso de la cuenca del Río Grande/Bravo

La cuenca binacional del Río Grande/Río Bravo (RGB) es una fuente esencial de agua dulce para más de 13 millones de personas que viven en el Sudoeste de los Estados Unidos y el norte de México. La frontera entre estos países es conocida por ser una de las más activas en el mundo en términos de intercambios de bienes, y una de las más ajenas a la movilidad de personas. La sección de la frontera que corre el RGB representa una serie de asimetrías de poder y dinámicas de la globalización. También, representa el movimiento de información, mercancías, capitales y personas, y de factores que acentúan las rivalidades de poderes y las reacciones políticas. A partir de un enfoque interdisciplinario, conciliando la geografía y la ciencia política, nuestra presentación se centra en la gestión de las aguas superficiales de la cuenca binacional del Río Grande/Río Bravo entre los Estados Unidos y México y en los factores que inhiben la sostenibilidad de sus recursos y acentúan las situaciones conflictivas por el agua. ¿Que impide a los Estados Unidos y a México avanzar en la integración de la gestión de la cuenca? ¿Qué es lo que inhibe el logro de la sostenibilidad de la cuenca? ¿Cuáles son los factores que acentúan el carácter geopolítico de la frontera trazada por los recursos hídricos compartidos entre los Estados Unidos y México? Para responder a estos cuestionamientos proponemos discutir la organización de la gestión de la cuenca, subrayar las tensiones que reducen la confianza entre los Estados Unidos y México, y evaluar la potencialidad de conflictos por el agua. Resultados de nuestra investigación de campo sugieren que la gestión de la cuenca del RGB es sin duda un tema crucial, pero no al grado de desencadenar un conflicto armado entre los Estados Unidos y México. Sin embargo, el espacio hídrico fronterizo simboliza el territorio en el que confluyen problemáticas, como la inmigración ilegal, el tráfico de drogas y el control de la frontera, que pueden dañar las relaciones binacionales. Argumentamos entonces que la integración de la gestión de la cuenca y la búsqueda de la sostenibilidad de sus recursos no son una prioridad binacional debido a la existencia de otros problemas que reducen la confianza entre estos países y aumentan el carácter geopolítico de la frontera

Towards an English-Spanish version of the Comprehensive Transboundary International Water Quality Management Agreement

The aim of this communication is to discuss strategies for, and progress achieved in transboundary water quality management. The Comprehensive Transboundary Water Quality Management Agreement with Guidelines for Development of a Management Plan, Standards, and Criteria. (ASCE/EWRI 33-09). The purpose of this Agreement is to provide a framework for governments to adopt or modify comprehensive water quality planning and management mechanisms of shared water resources. The Spanish version of the Agreement, completed by the ASCE/EWRI Border International Water Quality Standards Committee (BIWQ SC) Translation Ad Hoc Group, allows the scope of this Framework along and across Spanish speaking political boundaries. This version includes some updates balloted by the Committee to ensure that all factors involved in the sharing and management of water resources are considered in the development of the Agreement, so that it can accommodate the current realities of the boundary governments. The original version of the Agreement (ASCE/EWRI 33-09) is being revised and will be replaced in the coming months by the ASCE/EWRI 33-16. The ASCE/EWRI 33-16 contains the most current model for comprehensive water quality planning and management of shared water resources. It underlines the importance of governmental cooperation to alleviate causes of present and future disagreement and promotes the development of common strategies to use, manage and protect shared water resources. The ASCE/EWRI 33-16 is an agreement to be used, modified, and enhanced through every government on an international scale and in a variety of geopolitical settings

Challenges and opportunities of groundwater resources management: Examination of the problematic access to water in Central Valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico

Groundwater resources, in addition to being subject to quantitative management mechanisms, are the main source of water supply for certain users. The access, the use and the exploitation of these resources favor the emergence of tensions between governmental and social spheres. The existence of a water withdrawal ban decree and the lack of recognition of the capacity of participation of community actors are factors that potentiate the emergence of conflict. In this sense, organized indigenous leadership favors the formulation of alternative strategies to adapt a long-standing decree. The case of the problematic water access in Central Valleys of Oaxaca teaches us that the great opportunity to adapt groundwater management relies on the community capacities to formulate public policy recommendations aimed at ad hoc water resources management

The Visibility of Citizen Participation and the Invisibility of Groundwater in Mexico

The aim of this study is to assess the social responses to protect and prevent conflict over groundwater resources. By means of a qualitative method and a study of the Valles Centrales and Valle de Mexicali aquifers in Mexico, we found that centralized water management, citizens’ socio-environmental awareness, an asymmetry of power between stakeholders, an imposition of government policies, and economic interests are all contributory factors to emerging conflicts over groundwater. However, citizen participation has developed to provide organized individuals with an opportunity to influence public decisions through the recognition of their rights with respect to water inequalities. However, a limitation of the study is the illustration of conflictual events through the interpretation of qualitative data and of the opinions of the actors studied. However, the construction of hydrosocial territory in these aquifers is concretized in the potentiality and significance of citizen participation in promoting sustainable and socially responsible public groundwater policy at the regional level

Existing opportunities to adapt the Rio Grande/Bravo Basin Water Resources Allocation Framework

The study of the Rio Grande/Bravo (RGB) Basin water allocation demonstrates how the United States (U.S.) and Mexico have consolidated a transboundary framework based on water sharing. However, the water supply no longer meets the ever-increasing demand for water or the expectations of different stakeholders. This paper explores opportunities for an enhanced management regime that will address past problems and better examine how to balance demands for a precious resource and environmental needs. Based on an overview of the RGB Basin context and the water allocation framework, as well as a discussion on stakeholders’ ability to achieve solutions, this paper explores three key questions: (1) Does the current binational water allocation framework meet current and future human and environmental needs? (2) How can the U.S.-Mexico water allocation framework be adapted to balance social and environmental water demands so it can support and preserve the RGB Basin ecosystem? (3) What are the main opportunities to be explored for expanding the U.S.-Mexico water resources allocation framework? The U.S.-Mexico water resources framework is subject to broad interpretation and may be adapted to the circumstances taking the fullest advantage of its flexibility. Policy recommendations highlight the existing flexibility of the binational framework, the potential to move forward with an ad hoc institutional arrangement, and the creation of political will to achieve change through stakeholders recommendations

Building global water use scenarios

The Water Future and Solutions Initiative (WFaS) develops consistent, multi-model global water scenaros with the aim to analyze the water-food-energy-climate- environment nexus and identify future hotspots of water insecurity and related impacts on food and energy security. WFaS coordinates its work with on-going scenario development in the fifth assessment review of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), which has developed climate scenarios based on the Representative Concentration pathways (RCPs) and alternative futures of societal developments described in the Shared Socio-economic Pathways (SSPs). In its 'fast-track' scenario assessment WFaS applies available multi-model ensembles of RCP climate scenarios and population, urbanization, and economic development quantifications of the SSPs. Here we interpret SSP narratives to indicate direct or indirect consequences for key water dimensions. Criical scenario assumptions are assessed for different conditions in terms of a country or regions ability to cope with water-related risks and its exposure to complex hydrologcal conditions. For this purpose a classification of hydro-economic challenges across countries has been developed. Scenario assumptions were developed for defined categories of hyro-economic development challenges and relevant features of SSPs. In this way we systematically assess qualitatively key scenario drivers required for global water models We then provide quantifications of assumptions for technological and structural changes for the industry and domestic sector. For the quantification of global scenarios of future water demand, we applied an ensemble of three global water models (H08, PCR-GLOBWB, WaterGAP). Ensemble results of global industrial water withdrawal highlight a steep increase in almost all SSP scenarios. Global amounts across the three models show a wide spread with the highest amounts reaching almost 2000 km^3 yr^-1 by 2050, more than doubled compared to the present industrial water use intensity (850 km^3 yr^-1). Increases in world population result in global domestic water withdrawals by 2050 reaching 700-1500 km^3 yr^-1 depending on scenario and water model. This is an increase of up to 250% compared to the present domestic water use intensity (400-450 km^3 yr^-1). We finally suggest improvements for future water use modelling

Water Futures and Solution - Fast Track Initiative (Final Report)

The Water Futures and Solutions Initiative (WFaS) is a cross-sector, collaborative global water project. Its objective is to apply systems analysis, develop scientific evidence and identify water-related policies and management practices, working together consistently across scales and sectors to improve human well-being through water security. The approach is a stakeholder-informed, scenario-based assessment of water resources and water demand that employs ensembles of state-of-the-art socio-economic and hydrological models, examines possible futures and tests the feasibility, sustainability and robustness of options that can be implemented today and can be sustainable and robust across a range of possible futures and associated uncertainties. This report aims at assessing the global current and future water situation