Water as an Economic Good

2019 ◽  
pp. 19-35
Author(s):  
Edward B. Barbier
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
International Conference ◽  
The Past ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Economic Good ◽  
New Perspective

This chapter discusses the idea of water as an economic good. In the past several decades, there has been greater recognition that how humans manage water scarcity and its competing uses must change. This new perspective is reflected in the International Conference on Water and the Environment's (ICWE) 1992 Dublin Statement on Water and Sustainable Development, which declared as one of its core principles: “Water has an economic value in all its competing uses and should be recognized as an economic good.” If water is an “economic good,” then the institutions for managing water should ensure that scarce water is allocated to its most valuable competing use. Rising freshwater scarcity would mean that all users of water would pay higher costs. Any increasing scarcity would be temporary and the resulting higher costs would be “an important way of achieving efficient and equitable use, and of encouraging conservation and protection of water resources.”

scholarly journals Climate change, water resources and sustainable development in the arid and semi-arid lands of Central Asia in the past 30 years

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Yu ◽  
Yuanyue Pi ◽  
Xiang Yu ◽  
Zhijie Ta ◽  
Lingxiao Sun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Central Asia ◽  
Arid Lands ◽  
The Past ◽  
Semi Arid

scholarly journals Vulnerability of Water Resources to Climate Change: Adaptation and Resilience Strategies for Sustainable Development in Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Future Climate Change ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Run Off ◽  
Increasing Demand ◽  
Negative Impacts

Nigeria faces inexorable climate change in recent times. This phenomenon will have a profound effect on the long-term sustainable socio-economic development and is also likely to jeopardize achievement of economic development of the country. All economic and social sectors will be adversely affected. The water resources sector is one that will be strongly impacted by climate change. Against a background of increasing demand for potable water, sea-level rise may lead to flooding of lowlands and seawater intrusion into coastal aquifers, while variability in climate may see more intense rainstorms resulting both in increased run-off leading to increased flooding and reduced recharge leading to aquifer depletion. Such impacts are already having negative ripple effects on other vital aspects of the economy such as the tourism, recreational, agricultural and industrial sectors. Unfortunately, adequate management of water resources in Nigeria is sorely lacking. Extensive studies to quantify the likely impacts of future climate change and climate variability on water resources in Nigeria are not available. In many cases, baseline data which may be used to track changes are sparse or non-existent. The impacts of climate change and economic value of water resources will form the basis for the development of adaptation strategies with regards to the sustainable management of regional and national water resources. This paper therefore explores the probable effect climate change will have on water resources in Nigeria, the fall-out from these effects and strategies for mitigating potential negative impacts for sustainable development.

Sustainable Development: Tenant Theory

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 3725-3730
Author(s):  
Hui Wei Cai
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Economic Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Land Reclamation ◽  
Animal Husbandry ◽  
Oil Extraction ◽  
Soil Layers ◽  
Know How ◽  
The Past ◽  
Patterns Of Behavior

In the past 10,000 years, mankind was primarily engaged in agriculture and animal husbandry. Its economic development did not cause too much destruction of the Earth's environment. But in the recent 300 years, coal mining, oil extraction, land reclamation, mineral exploitation, lumbering, fishing, chemical and nuclear industries, etc., resulted in a variety of ecological disasters. The atmosphere and water resources, soil layers have been seriously polluted. The deteriorating environment reminds mankind that economic development can not sacrifice the environment. For the sake of sustainable development, this paper puts forward a new theory: Tenant Theory. This theory regards mankind as a tenant living in the big house, the biosphere. Its vertical distance is only about 20 kilometers. All the activities of the tenant could not destroy the house. But, this tenant has always been damaging the house unconsciously. In order to obtain an opportunity of sustainable development, mankind must adjust its values and patterns of behavior. This theory is first presented in this paper, it warns that mankind should recognize own place in the great nature, and know how to think and how to behave so as to obtain sustainable development.

Water scarcity will boost Turkey-Syria-Iraq tensions

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Internal Conflict ◽  
Euphrates River ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Southern Iraq ◽  
Regional Water

Significance Large-scale water capture in Turkish dams upstream has caused long-term shortages elsewhere in the Tigris and Euphrates river basin, notably eastern Syria and southern Iraq. Competition for water resources intersects with existing ethno-religious tensions across the riparian countries. Impacts The political fragility of the Syrian and Iraqi states will be exacerbated by rising conflict over scarce water resources. Iran may seek to intervene on behalf of Shia Arabs in the Iraqi south. Turkey may experience future internal conflict with the Kurdish minority on whose land new dams have been constructed. Regional water scarcity could drive further migration to Europe.

Assessment of Local Water Resources for Sustainable Development Goals

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Homero Castanier
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Food Security ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resources Management ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Sustainable Development Goals ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Integrated Water Resources Management ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Development Goals

<p>Based on the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – Targets - Indicators 2016-2030, the objective of this paper is to emphasize on water resources as a cross-cutting issue and at the center of sustainable development, presenting a specific analysis of the importance of a better knowledge of the hydrology - hydrometrics of country major and local basins as fundamental information for water resources sustainable management. This implies the review of specific indicators related to the knowledge at town level of water resources assessment and availability, fundamental to life, health, food security, energy, the environment, and human well-being.</p><p>There are limitations including the lack of accurate and complete data. Local sub-national variation in water resources and water withdrawal could be considerable, as at the level of local or individual river basins, and the lack of account of seasonal variations in water resources. Regional values may mask huge differences within regions and also within countries where people live in areas of serious water scarcity, although each country could have enough renewable water resources overall.</p><p>In order to ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and to implement integrated water resources management at all levels (targets 6.4 and 6.5 of the SDGs), a fundamental baseline is the assessment of available and exploitable water resources at local level, as well as its development feasibility. </p><p>Data on water resources availability is a key indicator that should be approached at local level, since in a majority of countries, i) most local and rural communities and towns do not count with the information regarding their water resources, ii) local information will contribute to improve the accuracy of information of renewable water resources at country level, iii) rural settlements are in general the most vulnerable, lacking services of drinking water and irrigation for food security, and iv) small variations on the estimations of available water resources would represent social, environmental and economic consequences on water resources management and sustainable development planning.</p><p>Based on the analysis of the ecohydrology of two case studies, it is demonstrated that there cannot be effective integrated water resources management (IWRM) at town level if there is a lack of information on water resources availability.</p><p>Considering the limitations described in regard to goals-targets-indicators of sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity, and the implementation of integrated water resources management, it is indispensable to count with adequate and reliable local hydrological - hydrometric data and monitoring systems that would contribute to partially control these limitations, assessing available water supplies for community planning.</p><p>In reference to Agenda 2030, countries must implement a complementary indicator, as the percentage of the population whose water sources are monitored by means of adequate measuring methods, providing information on surface water and ground water regimes that influence water availability.</p>

scholarly journals Comprehensive Assessment of Water Footprints and Water Scarcity Pressure for Main Crops in Shandong Province, China

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 1856 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mengran Fu ◽  
Bin Guo ◽  
Weijiao Wang ◽  
Juan Wang ◽  
Lihua Zhao ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Footprint ◽  
Shandong Province ◽  
Total Water ◽  
Gis Technology ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Meteorological Observations ◽  
Water Scarce

Rapid economic development has posed pressure on water resources, and the potential for a water crisis has become an important obstacle to the sustainable development of society. Water footprint theory and its applications in agriculture provide an important strategic basis for the rational utilization and sustainable development of water resources. Based on the monthly meteorological observations and agricultural data of Shandong Province, CROPWAT 8.0 and Geographic Information System (GIS) technology, the green, blue and grey water footprints of wheat, maize, cotton and groundnut from 1989 to 2016 were calculated and the spatial variations of water footprints for crops in different rainfall years were analyzed. Additionally, assessment of water stress for agricultural productions was conducted in this study. The results showed that the average water footprints of wheat, maize, cotton and groundnut were 2.02 m3/kg, 1.24 m3/kg, 7.29 m3/kg and 1.75 m3/kg, respectively in Shandong Province. A large amount of the average total water footprint was calculated for wheat (420.59 × 108 m3/yr), maize (222.16 × 108 m3/yr), cotton (72.70 × 108 m3/yr) and groundnut (50.07 × 108 m3/yr). The average total water footprint of the four crops was 765.52 × 108 m3/yr (29.98% blue) and exhibited a gradual decreasing trend over time. Specifically, the total water footprint of wheat was the highest among four main crops in Shandong Province and exhibited a decreasing trend during 1989–2016. The maize was ranked in the second place, and was the only crop still increasing rapidly. The spatial and temporal changes of water footprints for crops were obvious in different rainfall years. Additionally, agricultural productions in most regions were facing the threat of water scarcity. Therefore, the scientific planning of crop planting structures and rational control of sown areas of crops with large water footprints should be implemented in severely water-scarce regions. This study can give some suggestions on the adjustment of planting structure for the sustainable development of agriculture and the realization of efficient utilization of water resources.

scholarly journals Protection of Halophytes and Their Uses for Cultivation of Saline-Alkali Soil in China

Biology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Lili Liu ◽  
Baoshan Wang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Animal Feed ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Soil Improvement ◽  
Coastal Protection ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
The Past ◽  
Alkali Soils ◽  
Protection And Utilization ◽  
Saline Land

Over 800 million hectares of arable lands are affected by salinity in the world. In China, saline-alkali soils account for 25% of farmland and are underutilized. One sustainable strategy to make better use of saline land is to plant halophytes, salt-tolerant plants that can survive and complete their life cycle in media containing more than 200 mM NaCl. Halophytes have potential economic value as grain, vegetable, fruit, medicine, animal feed, and biofuel feedstocks, and in greening and coastal protection. Therefore, the cultivation and protection of halophytes is very important. In the past few decades, a lot of work has been done on the protection and utilization of halophytes in saline soil improvement and development worldwide. This article focuses on the distribution of saline-alkali conditions and current measures to protect halophytes, as well as the application of halophytes in the sustainable development of saline-alkali land. This information is helpful for protection and utilization of halophytes in the sustainable development of saline land worldwide.

scholarly journals VALUATION OF WATER AND SCARCE WATER RESOURCES OPTIMAL ALLOCATION AT THE RIVER BASIN LEVEL A CASE STUDY IN DOWNSTREAM AREA OF THE DONG NAI RIVER SYSTEM BASIN

2012 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 87-101
Author(s):  
Hung Thanh Nguyen
Keyword(s):  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Use ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Allocation ◽  
Optimal Allocation ◽  
River System ◽  
Water Shortage ◽  
True Value ◽  
Scarce Water ◽  
Downstream Area

Water scarcity is an ongoing reality in many river basins due to the need for increasingly water use associated with water pollution and climate change. Faced with this situation, it is necessary to know the true value of scarce water resources to contribute to effective water allocation. In this paper, a model to optimize the allocation of water resources with the constraints in terms of hydrology has developed based on the principle of balance in marginal net benefits of water use across sectors, and test applied to solve the optimal water sources allocation in the downstream area of the Dong Nai river system basin with many different water scarcity scenarios. The results show that the model allows simulating relatively good optimized water allocation for the competitive water use demands in the cases of shortage of water, and also allows determining the balanced margin net values/ benefits of raw water corresponding to the different levels of water shortage.

scholarly journals Eficácia da Cobrança pelo Uso de Recursos Hídricos condicionada ao Índice de Qualidade da Água: Estudo de Caso, Minas Gerais, Brasil

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 266
Author(s):  
Cíntia Maria Ribeiro Vilarinho ◽  
Marcelo Gonzaga Muller ◽  
Aline Souza Cavalcante ◽  
Mariana Morales Leite Costa ◽  
José Augusto Costa Gonçalves
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Scarcity ◽  
Water Quality Index ◽  
Quality Index ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Minas Gerais ◽  
Water Value ◽  
Minas Gerais State

Em vários países o preço da água pode e melhorou quantitativa e qualitativamente a distribuição deste recurso. O preço adequado e bem utilizado levou a uma melhor sustentabilidade e conservação da água por meio de regulamentos prescritivos, incluindo até o racionamento de água. O uso de preços para gerenciar a demanda de água é mais econômico do que a implementação de programas de conservação sem preços. No Brasil, através de instrumentos legais, é prevista a cobrança pelo uso dos recursos hídricos, sinalizando pela necessidade do reconhecimento do valor econômico da água associado ao seu uso, ao desenvolvimento sustentável mediante aos desafios da escassez hídrica futura. Para que a cobrança pelo uso da água não se torne um mero mecanismo de arrecadação pública, e devido também, a inexistência de estudos que investiguem e expressem de forma clara os objetivos e finalidades da cobrança em Minas Gerais, esta pesquisa se fez necessária. Desta forma, este trabalho objetivou investigar e avaliar a cobrança pelo uso da água e sua eficácia na melhoria do Índice de Qualidade da Água (IQA) estabelecida pelo órgão gestor. Em Minas Gerais, de 91,67% das Unidades de Planejamento e Gestão de Recursos Hídricos (UPGRHs), onde existe a cobrança instituída, não se constatou uma tendência na melhoria do IQA. Apenas 36,36% das bacias estaduais que cobram pelo uso da água melhoraram os níveis de IQA, enquanto 63,63% pioraram ou não tiveram variação significativa.  Charging Effectiveness for the Use of Water Resources conditioned to the Water Quality Index: Case Study, Minas Gerais, Brazil A B S T R A C TIn several countries the price of water can and has improved quantitatively and qualitatively the distribution of the resource. The appropriate and well-used price has led to better sustainability and conservation of water through prescriptive regulations, including even water rationing. Using prices to manage water demand is more economical than implementing price-free conservation programs. In Brazil, through legal instruments, charging for the use of water resources is foreseen, signaling mainly the need to recognize the economic value of water associated with its use, sustainable development through the challenges of future water scarcity. So that, charging for the use of water does not become a mere mechanism for public collection, and also due to the lack of studies that investigate and clearly express the objectives and purposes of charging in Minas Gerais state, this research was necessary. Thus, this study aimed to investigate and evaluate the charge for water use and its effectiveness in improving the Water Quality Index (WQI) established by the managing body. In Minas Gerais, of 91.67% of the Water Resources Planning and Management Units (UPGRHs), where the collection is in place, there was no trend in improving the IQA. Only 36.36% of the state basins that charge for the use of water improved the levels of IQA, while 63.63% worsened or had no significant variation.Keywords: Water scarcity. Water availability. Water Value.

Issues and options for sustainable development of water resource and use in India

Social Change ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 31 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 61-74
Author(s):  
Seema Bathla ◽  
Mamta Mukherjee
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Water Resources ◽  
Water Resource ◽  
Water Policy ◽  
Water Resource Management ◽  
Groundwater Resources ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Social Good ◽  
Over Exploitation

The paper highlights and raises concern over issue of over-exploitation of groundwater resources in India, arising due to stress induced by growth in population and economic activity. The role of market and non-market interventions is analyzed to achieve a sustainable development of water resources, in particular groundwater resources. It is emphasized that the existing energy pricing structure portrays groundwater more as a social good and undermines the real economic value that needs to be attached to it. In view of the market and policy failures in overcoming the phenomenon of water scarcity, the role of institutions is reviewed in detail. Since efforts at the international level as initiated by the World Commission on Environment and Development, the UN Conference and the National Water Policy are largely in the nature of involving stakeholders in the conservation of water resources, the paper highlights the importance of evolving an appropriate participatory model of water resource management. The paper finally explores possible areas of research.

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