“…The plethora of world water initiatives has resulted in several distinct calls for action over almost five decades. Mar del Plata (1977) raised the need to focus on water needs, integration of all waters, and established a Plan of Action guiding water policy from then on. From Dublin (1992) came a call for greater recognition of the economic value of water.…”
Section: What Has Resulted From Almost Five Decades Of Good Intention...mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Those responsible for policies, investments, and water management expect water research to deliver the updated knowledge, new data, and innovations they need to adapt their strategies in the future. This will become more demanding as water security is further weakened by every increment of climate warming, and adaptation measures to deliver relief become more complex and less effective, particularly when this exceeds 2°C (Smith et al, 2023). …”
Section: What Has Resulted From Almost Five Decades Of Good Intention...mentioning
There has been a plethora of world water conferences, workshops, and other initiatives over the last four decades. Initially, the focus was on localized water and environmental problems. As environmental issues began to cross borders and became more complex, a new phase of international initiatives emerged, which incorporated environmental objectives with other water related ones. More recently, a focus on international water initiatives has been on improving water governance and transboundary cooperation. The first United Nations conference specifically devoted to water was held in the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina (1977). The increased demand for water across the planet, the degrading anthropic actions, and the development models that exclude the more vulnerable communities, indicate the beginning of a crisis that should be addressed by an integrated water resources management approach. Thus, the Mar del Plata Action Plan was drawn up. Forty‐six years after, another high‐level UN Conference took place in New York. From 22 to 24 last March this year, governments, organizations, and stakeholders from all over the world got together under the major objective to not miss the opportunity to chart a path to water security for the future.
“…The plethora of world water initiatives has resulted in several distinct calls for action over almost five decades. Mar del Plata (1977) raised the need to focus on water needs, integration of all waters, and established a Plan of Action guiding water policy from then on. From Dublin (1992) came a call for greater recognition of the economic value of water.…”
Section: What Has Resulted From Almost Five Decades Of Good Intention...mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Those responsible for policies, investments, and water management expect water research to deliver the updated knowledge, new data, and innovations they need to adapt their strategies in the future. This will become more demanding as water security is further weakened by every increment of climate warming, and adaptation measures to deliver relief become more complex and less effective, particularly when this exceeds 2°C (Smith et al, 2023). …”
Section: What Has Resulted From Almost Five Decades Of Good Intention...mentioning
There has been a plethora of world water conferences, workshops, and other initiatives over the last four decades. Initially, the focus was on localized water and environmental problems. As environmental issues began to cross borders and became more complex, a new phase of international initiatives emerged, which incorporated environmental objectives with other water related ones. More recently, a focus on international water initiatives has been on improving water governance and transboundary cooperation. The first United Nations conference specifically devoted to water was held in the city of Mar del Plata in Argentina (1977). The increased demand for water across the planet, the degrading anthropic actions, and the development models that exclude the more vulnerable communities, indicate the beginning of a crisis that should be addressed by an integrated water resources management approach. Thus, the Mar del Plata Action Plan was drawn up. Forty‐six years after, another high‐level UN Conference took place in New York. From 22 to 24 last March this year, governments, organizations, and stakeholders from all over the world got together under the major objective to not miss the opportunity to chart a path to water security for the future.
“…However, although renewable, fresh water remains a limited and threatened natural resource, a situation which is compounded by climate change and climate variability and their impact on hydrometeorological interactions (Garcia‐Moreno et al, 2014; Mall et al, 2006; Ngcobo et al, 2013; Ovink et al, 2023; Rockström et al, 2023). Projected warmer climates and further anthropogenic influences will have a catalytic effect on the hydrologic cycle, impacting the timing and distribution of rainfall, rainfall intensity and variability (Mall et al, 2006; Rockström et al, 2023; Smith et al, 2023). Mismanagement of freshwater resources often has catastrophic consequences for the agricultural, health, food and nutrition sectors (Malakar & Lu, 2022; Ovink et al, 2023).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Increased water demands driven by socio‐economic growth have also facilitated the accelerated decline in the quality and quantity of fresh water as a result of overexploitation of freshwater resources for human needs and the alteration of natural water systems (Garcia‐Moreno et al, 2014; Rockström et al, 2023). The vulnerability of freshwater resources is a pressing and ongoing challenge because water plays a central and vital role in main global economic and developmental activities, including agricultural production and ensuring the realization of health, food and water‐focused Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDGs 1, 2, 3, 6, and 8 (Bjornlund et al, 2023; Cofie & Amede, 2015; Rejekiningrum et al, 2022; Smith et al, 2023).…”
Section: Introductionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…Decision makers must and have encouraged investment in innovations as solutions for water management efforts and water technologies (Bjornlund et al, 2023; Garcia‐Moreno et al, 2014). These innovations come with an emphasis on implementing water‐related mitigation and adaptation solutions in anticipation of variable but definite climate change impacts (Bjornlund et al, 2023; Garcia‐Moreno et al, 2014; Ovink et al, 2023; Smith et al, 2023). These solutions need to be contextualized, equitable, innovative and strategic management channels for freshwater resources, acknowledging local socio‐economics and institutional structures (Bjornlund et al, 2023; Garcia‐Moreno et al, 2014; Malakar & Lu, 2022; Smith et al, 2023).…”
There is increased awareness that the current food system is unsustainable and that transformative research, development and innovation in agricultural water management (AWM) are needed to transform water and food systems under climate change. We provide an overview of research efforts, challenges, opportunities and innovations to improve water resource management and sustainability, especially in the agricultural sector. We highlight how sustainable AWM is central to balancing the needs of a growing population and increasing food demand under increasing water insecurity and scarcity, with environmental and socio‐economic outcomes. Innovative technologies are being developed to optimize water use and productivity through sustainable irrigation technologies, irrigation modernization and smart water management. However, these innovations still need to fully address equity, inequality and social justice concerning access to water, infrastructure and the delayed technological advances in the global South. This requires adopting transdisciplinary approaches, as espoused by the water–energy–food (WEF) nexus, to better anticipate and balance trade‐offs, optimize synergies and mitigate risks of maladaptation. Through such transdisciplinary approaches, AWM innovations could better consider local socio‐economic, governance, institutional and technological constraints, thus allowing for more contextualized and relevant innovations that can be scaled.
While it becomes apparent that the sustainable development goal for water will likely not be met by 2030, the first UN Water Conference in almost half a century has produced a large number of non-binding commitments and pledges, thus falling short of closing the global governance gap that is widening through climate change. This article adopts a risk governance perspective and provides reflections and recommendations on the need for coordination, critical evaluation, integration and a deeper understanding of risk perceptions and responses related to the water SDG across public, private and civil society actors. Drawing on van Asselt and Renn, the paper proposes a water risk governance framework applying the principles of communication and inclusion, integration, and reflection, to assessing progress toward the water SDG. Focusing on the transformation of water services, it discusses who is represented, whose risks are perceived and responded to, and who is responsible for providing evidence and scaling innovation. It concludes that for scaling up four elements are necessary, including institutional innovation, financing mechanisms, monitoring, as well as social and policy uptake.
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