Community Capacity for Adaptation to Climate-Induced Water Shortages: Linking Institutional Complexity and Local Actors

Abstract

There is growing concern for the capacity of urban and rural communities to manage current water shortages and to prepare for shortages that may accompany predicted changes in climate. In this paper, concepts relating to the notion of climate adaptation and particularly "capacity building" are used to elucidate several determinants of community-level capacity for water management. These concepts and criteria are then used to interpret empirically derived insights relating to local management of water shortages in Ontario, Canada. General determinants of water-related community capacity relate to upper tier political and institutional arrangements; the characteristics of, and relationships among, pertinent agencies, groups, or individuals involved in water management; and the adequacy of financial, human, information, and technical resources. The case analysis illustrates how general factors play out in local experience. The findings point to geographically specific factors that influence the effectiveness of management. Key factors include collaboration between water managers, clarification of agency roles and responsibilities, integration of water management and land-use planning, and recognition and participation of both urban and rural stakeholders, whose sensitivities to water shortages are spatially and temporally variable.

Adapting to climate change through local municipal planning: barriers and challenges

“…Indeed, in many cases, municipal authorities have no constitutional standing of their own. Rather they are the delegated agents of a higher power such as a state in Australia (Wild River 2006) or a province in the case of Canada (Ivey et al 2004). Hence for example in Sydney, a key planning mechanism known as Local Environmental Plans, prepared by individual councils, are a provision of the New South Wales Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 (s53), and the State Minister for Planning is not bound by these plans, for example when considering state infrastructure projects.…”

“…Even in a single locality, the mandate of municipalities frequently extends from aesthetics to infrastructure, from parking to waste management (Wild River 2006;Pini et al 2007). Furthermore, the mandate of local government is expanding, due to the shifting of responsibility from higher levels of authority to lower levels of authority, particularly from state and provincial authorities (Ivey et al 2004). Such constraints to action may explain why the apparent interest in adaptation and adaptation planning hasn't necessarily translated into the implementation of actions to reduce vulnerability (Repetto 2008;Ford et al 2011;Berrang-Ford et al 2011;Preston et al 2011).…”

The changing ecology of teams: New directions for teams research

“…It is easy to see that climate change poses a global challenge to large social systems (Adger, 2003;Agrawal & Lemos, 2007;Ivey, Smithers, de Loe, & Kreutzwiser, 2004), but how is it changing the nature of collaboration and teamwork? Certainly, climate-related crises such as floods, wildfires, and epidemics are demanding collaborations between government entities from civic to national, non-governmental organizations, the military, religious organizations, and the private sector.…”

Adaptation to climate change in international river basins in Africa: a review / Adaptation au changement climatique dans les bassins fluviaux internationaux en Afrique: une revue

“…Adaptation options and the constraints on water management are specific to the context in which they occur (Ivey et al, 2004;Arnell & Delaney, 2006;Shepherd et al, 2006). In addition, the goals of adaptation are important for determining whether adaptation is successful or whether limits to adaptation exist .…”

“…Institutions and governance structures in the water sector differ significantly both within and between countries (Kundzewicz et al, 2007) and can either facilitate or hinder adaptation by different stakeholders at different scales (Ivey et al, 2004;Naess et al, 2005). Whilst water governance structures in the UK (Tompkins et al, 2009) and the USA (Frederick et al, 1997;Stakhiv, 1998) are able to promote adaptation, in developing countries existing legal frameworks and institutions are often too weak to address the challenges currently faced by the water sector (Levina, 2006).…”