Governing Climate Risk: A Study of International Rivers
Explores how nation-states handle the unpredictability surrounding water availability & flow while negotiating water treaties. At issue is whether states adopt available mechanisms to address climate uncertainty while negotiating new water regimes & whether & how these regimes evolve during crisis events to contend with climate risk, especially in light of new local & regional water organizations. An examination of the negotiation process of three water treaties reveals that nations typically eschew risk management mechanisms because these mechanisms often shift the balance of power & undermine the sustainability of the resource regulatory regime. These case studies in water flow management are the lower Rio Grande drought & the 1944 Mexico-US treaty; the 1961-1964 drought along the Great Lakes & the 1909 Canadian-US treaty; & 1997-1999 water shortage in the Jordan Basin & the 1994 Jordanian-Israeli peace treaty. The most important of these excluded/neglected mechanisms are drought mitigation measures. The ramifications of not adopting these mitigation measures are assessed through a look at the performance of these treaties & how they evolved during drought conditions. In this context, considered are hybrid cooperative mechanisms to address regional climate risk that also accommodate the requirement of the nation-state to maintain its hegemony over transnational institutions & secure a long-standing water regime. Attention is also given to how local & regional initiatives are overcoming state inadequacies in grappling with climate risk. Tables, Figures, References. D. Edelman