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Can the environmental impacts of inter-basin transfers be adequately predicted and mitigated?
Posted on August 2nd, 2009Categorized as Social-Ecological Systems Tagged as hydrological cycle, inter-basin transfer, water
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For large parts of the human population water scarcity is a serious problem. Increased hydrological variability as a result of climate change will exacerbate the problem. As a result, the pressure to use water more efficiently and ultimately to find ways of redistributing resources from areas of plenty to areas of stress increases. There are many large inter-basin transfers around the world, notably in Australia, Canada, China, India and the United States, Central Asia. Many more inter-basin transfer schemes are under consideration. Inter-basin transfers are often large and expensive, involving major infrastructure and in some cases significant use of energy for pumping. Transfers will affect existing river flows and water quality and can also have significant impacts on aquatic ecosystems.
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Given the escalating severe impacts on the hydrological cycle, how can we effectively respond to the challenge of climate change adaptation?
Posted on August 6th, 2009Categorized as Climate Tagged as adaptation, climate change, hydrological cycle, water
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Water is the primary medium through which climate change will affect livelihoods, shape economies and alter the natural environment. Recent climate research shows that impacts on the hydrological cycle are likely to be more serious than originally thought. For this reason an assessment of how the resource is managed by humans is crucial.
