Water Security: Global Challenges, Global

Solutions?

Frans Berkhout

King’s College London

PB: Freshwater use

Source: Steffen et al (2015)

Environmental Water Flows (EWF) = 33% of Mean Annual Flow (Global Average)

Accessible blue water resources: ~12 500–15 000 km3 year-1

Source: Steffen et al (2015)

Source: Steffen et al (2015)

Governance scales and PBs

• Natural tendency to imagine global-scale governance

• But freshwater is clearly a problem that manifests at multiple scales

• Governance of freshwater is generally not at the global level

IPCC AR5

Freshwater-related risks of climate change increase significantly with increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. The fraction of global population experiencing water scarcity and the fraction affected by major river floods increase with the level of warming in the 21st century

IPCC AR5

Climate change over the 21st century is projected to reduce renewable surface water and groundwater resources significantly in most dry subtropical regions, intensifying competition for water among sectors

Changes in run-off under climate change (IPCC AR4)

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG Goal 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

6.1 Universal and equitable access

6.2 Access to sanitation

6.3 Improve water quality

6.4 Increase water-use efficiency

6.5 Implement IWRM

6.6 Protect and restore water-related ecosystems

Disaggregating SDGs

Global SDG

National SDG

Source: Griggs et al. 2015

Issues

• Reconciling planetary boundaries with local targets – Current variability

– Climate projections

– Rights and customs (EWFs viable measure?)

• Governing against local boundaries nested in planetary boundaries – IWRM in a global context

– Trade in water/virtual water