Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Knowledge gaps (Op. cit. extract):
(1) The need for more data on sustainably available water resources, in particular
on safe aquifer yields and for so-called
'
economically water scarce
'
regions,
such as sub-Saharan Africa.
(2)
cient knowledge on the impacts of hydropower and other water resource
development on aquatic ecosystems.
(3) The relationships between river
Insuf
flows, the state of aquatic ecosystems and their
services are not well established.
(4) Uniformly applicable
'
water footprint
'
frameworks do not yet exist that would
ciency for different forms of energy or food
production. Such water footprint frameworks would have to integrate con-
sistently water productivity with water scarcity and opportunity costs in any
particular location.
(5) There is a lack of consistent and agreed upon water quality standards for
different crops and production systems, which would standardize and promote
wastewater reuse and hence increase water use ef
allow comparison of water use ef
ciency.
'
'
(6) There is no harmonized
or analytical framework that could
be used for monitoring or trade-off analyses. Hence, the effects of increasing
energy or water scarcity on food and water or energy security, as well as
potential synergies between land, water and energy management, are not well
understood. Questions include to what extent can higher availability of one
resource sustainably reduce scarcity of another, and how might this work at
different spatial scales?
(7) Much like in the case of IWRM, it is not clear how to deal with the increasing
level of complexity that comes with higher levels of integration. Implemen-
tation of such broader concepts is not straightforward and tensions arise when
integrating across sectors, institutions, levels and scales. For example, IWRM
is still not suf
nexus database
ciently integrated with sustainable economic development.
These challenges may be aggravated by inertia, stubborn adherence to existing
paradigms and preference for linear thinking.
Institutional concerns (Op. cit.):
(1) The need to overcome institutional disconnect and power imbalances between
sectors (e.g. blue and green water generally falling under different ministries),
or energy often having a stronger voice than water or environment, indicating
that the nexus may not be traded off equally.
(2) Accountability issues regarding allocations of
financial and human resources
within the public sector related to decentralization, notably intergovernmental
fiscal transfers to agriculture, water and public health departments.
(3) Little awareness and lack of capacity in all development actors (governments,
financing institutions, communities, etc.) regarding the nexus approach.
Lack of a Framework: To develop and implement a nexus-focused strategy to
find the right incentives to promote the right behaviour of each stakeholder.
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