Suchergebnisse

One singularity of northwestern Europe (NWE) is that severe droughts are rare events in the region and water scarcity has hardly been experienced in its history. The DROP pilot sites are not exceptions to this context. Although the lack of a drought history in wet areas can explain why drought and water scarcity are not necessarily the focus of (if ever considered in) river basin management plans, it must be noted that freshwater availability for drinking water provision remains a priority stake in both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Providing a reliable and safe supply of drinking water may thus be a leading entryway to the development of drought risk awareness and drought adaptation measures in a river basin. When such essential resource is threatened and the competition for water among users increases, there is a good chance that reflections and changes will be triggered. Water use conflicts and drinking water supply threats may arise due to increased water demand, but also due to decreased water availability. The later may occur because of natural climate variability, i.e., drier years than average, or as the result of the impact of climate change on local water resources. Climate change awareness is then an important asset to manage water availability. Where climate change awareness is low and adaptation measures are basically inexistent, social and political responses to drought adaptation may be slow and inefficient. However, even in those cases where climate change awareness is still low in general society, water authorities and other stakeholders are conscious that water demand tends to intensify with population and economic growth, rendering water scarcity conceivable and even foreseeable. Freshwater availability for drinking water supply is therefore an issue that can motivate the introduction of drought and water scarcity risks into the political and public agenda , even in " drought-scarce " regions. This chapter highlights the links between drought governance and the vulnerability of ...

One singularity of northwestern Europe (NWE) is that severe droughts are rare events in the region and water scarcity has hardly been experienced in its history. The DROP pilot sites are not exceptions to this context. Although the lack of a drought history in wet areas can explain why drought and water scarcity are not necessarily the focus of (if ever considered in) river basin management plans, it must be noted that freshwater availability for drinking water provision remains a priority stake in both quantitative and qualitative aspects. Providing a reliable and safe supply of drinking water may thus be a leading entryway to the development of drought risk awareness and drought adaptation measures in a river basin. When such essential resource is threatened and the competition for water among users increases, there is a good chance that reflections and changes will be triggered. Water use conflicts and drinking water supply threats may arise due to increased water demand, but also due to decreased water availability. The later may occur because of natural climate variability, i.e., drier years than average, or as the result of the impact of climate change on local water resources. Climate change awareness is then an important asset to manage water availability. Where climate change awareness is low and adaptation measures are basically inexistent, social and political responses to drought adaptation may be slow and inefficient. However, even in those cases where climate change awareness is still low in general society, water authorities and other stakeholders are conscious that water demand tends to intensify with population and economic growth, rendering water scarcity conceivable and even foreseeable. Freshwater availability for drinking water supply is therefore an issue that can motivate the introduction of drought and water scarcity risks into the political and public agenda , even in " drought-scarce " regions. This chapter highlights the links between drought governance and the vulnerability of ...

International audience ; This chapter explores the links between drought governance and the vulnerability of freshwater for drinking water supply, with a focus on drought adaptation. The public awareness of drought and water scarcity risks in such a flood-prone region is still low. However, the fact that fresh water availability for drinking water supply is threatened not only by a decrease in water availability, related to climate variability and climate change, but also due to the increase in water demand, related to population and economic growth, this issue can potentially motivate the introduction of drought and water scarcity risks into the public and political agenda. Even if the northwestern European countries in this study have similar climatic settings, other aspects of their contexts can be quite contrasting in each pilot case. Depending on where the freshwater reservoir is placed, upstream or downstream within the catchment, different levels and scales are mobilized to tackle water management challenges. The priority hierarchy of water uses in case of drought can also be surprisingly different in neighboring countries. Even if some actions, as the expansion of spatial water networks connectivity, have started to improve the robustness of drinking water systems, the solutions that require a paradigm shift to a most systemic strategy including water demand control remain out of the agenda and could greatly improve the resilience of the region to drought and water scarcity risk.

International audience ; This chapter explores the links between drought governance and the vulnerability of freshwater for drinking water supply, with a focus on drought adaptation. The public awareness of drought and water scarcity risks in such a flood-prone region is still low. However, the fact that fresh water availability for drinking water supply is threatened not only by a decrease in water availability, related to climate variability and climate change, but also due to the increase in water demand, related to population and economic growth, this issue can potentially motivate the introduction of drought and water scarcity risks into the public and political agenda. Even if the northwestern European countries in this study have similar climatic settings, other aspects of their contexts can be quite contrasting in each pilot case. Depending on where the freshwater reservoir is placed, upstream or downstream within the catchment, different levels and scales are mobilized to tackle water management challenges. The priority hierarchy of water uses in case of drought can also be surprisingly different in neighboring countries. Even if some actions, as the expansion of spatial water networks connectivity, have started to improve the robustness of drinking water systems, the solutions that require a paradigm shift to a most systemic strategy including water demand control remain out of the agenda and could greatly improve the resilience of the region to drought and water scarcity risk.

International audience ; Historically, flooding has dominated the physical and political landscape of Somerset, UK. Somerset has been known throughout history as 'the land of the summer people' with the floodplain only being used in the summer, due to its seasonal winter flooding. One of the unique features of this region is the Somerset Levels and Moors-a highly managed river and wetlands system, which is artificially drained and irrigated in order to open the area for productive settlement and uses such as farming. These water management systems extend back to the time of

International audience ; Historically, flooding has dominated the physical and political landscape of Somerset, UK. Somerset has been known throughout history as 'the land of the summer people' with the floodplain only being used in the summer, due to its seasonal winter flooding. One of the unique features of this region is the Somerset Levels and Moors-a highly managed river and wetlands system, which is artificially drained and irrigated in order to open the area for productive settlement and uses such as farming. These water management systems extend back to the time of

International audience ; The present paper provides a reflection on threats to integrated management of the Thau coastal lagoon due to climate change and the multi-scalar water scarcity adaptation strategy. This study proposes first to depict the Thau water governance assessed through a water use and social network analysis and its capacity to manage water quality. Next, this paper provides a downscaled study on the climate change impacts on the hydrological budget of the entire Thau catchment in 2041-2070 compared with the 1971-2000 reference period, a methodology developed during the CLIMB EU research program. Following local climate change impacts, the importation of a new water resource to secure water uses is presented in regards to the capacity of local water governance to maintain coherence between integrated land planning and integrated water management planning based on water quality issues of the Thau coastal lagoon. The study underlines that although the water uses are currently secured thanks to the regional transfer of water, they are not coherent with local water management and create new vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. Moreover, the regional decision to end financial support for the more efficient, existing network for the water quality survey of regional coastal lagoons breaks up the local water governance. This paper demonstrates why keeping this network would have been absolutely necessary for encouraging a governance capable of proposing sustainable solutions to water quality challenges induced by climate change.

International audience ; The present paper provides a reflection on threats to integrated management of the Thau coastal lagoon due to climate change and the multi-scalar water scarcity adaptation strategy. This study proposes first to depict the Thau water governance assessed through a water use and social network analysis and its capacity to manage water quality. Next, this paper provides a downscaled study on the climate change impacts on the hydrological budget of the entire Thau catchment in 2041-2070 compared with the 1971-2000 reference period, a methodology developed during the CLIMB EU research program. Following local climate change impacts, the importation of a new water resource to secure water uses is presented in regards to the capacity of local water governance to maintain coherence between integrated land planning and integrated water management planning based on water quality issues of the Thau coastal lagoon. The study underlines that although the water uses are currently secured thanks to the regional transfer of water, they are not coherent with local water management and create new vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. Moreover, the regional decision to end financial support for the more efficient, existing network for the water quality survey of regional coastal lagoons breaks up the local water governance. This paper demonstrates why keeping this network would have been absolutely necessary for encouraging a governance capable of proposing sustainable solutions to water quality challenges induced by climate change.

International audience ; The present paper provides a reflection on threats to integrated management of the Thau coastal lagoon due to climate change and the multi-scalar water scarcity adaptation strategy. This study proposes first to depict the Thau water governance assessed through a water use and social network analysis and its capacity to manage water quality. Next, this paper provides a downscaled study on the climate change impacts on the hydrological budget of the entire Thau catchment in 2041-2070 compared with the 1971-2000 reference period, a methodology developed during the CLIMB EU research program. Following local climate change impacts, the importation of a new water resource to secure water uses is presented in regards to the capacity of local water governance to maintain coherence between integrated land planning and integrated water management planning based on water quality issues of the Thau coastal lagoon. The study underlines that although the water uses are currently secured thanks to the regional transfer of water, they are not coherent with local water management and create new vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. Moreover, the regional decision to end financial support for the more efficient, existing network for the water quality survey of regional coastal lagoons breaks up the local water governance. This paper demonstrates why keeping this network would have been absolutely necessary for encouraging a governance capable of proposing sustainable solutions to water quality challenges induced by climate change.

International audience ; The present paper provides a reflection on threats to integrated management of the Thau coastal lagoon due to climate change and the multi-scalar water scarcity adaptation strategy. This study proposes first to depict the Thau water governance assessed through a water use and social network analysis and its capacity to manage water quality. Next, this paper provides a downscaled study on the climate change impacts on the hydrological budget of the entire Thau catchment in 2041-2070 compared with the 1971-2000 reference period, a methodology developed during the CLIMB EU research program. Following local climate change impacts, the importation of a new water resource to secure water uses is presented in regards to the capacity of local water governance to maintain coherence between integrated land planning and integrated water management planning based on water quality issues of the Thau coastal lagoon. The study underlines that although the water uses are currently secured thanks to the regional transfer of water, they are not coherent with local water management and create new vulnerabilities in the context of climate change. Moreover, the regional decision to end financial support for the more efficient, existing network for the water quality survey of regional coastal lagoons breaks up the local water governance. This paper demonstrates why keeping this network would have been absolutely necessary for encouraging a governance capable of proposing sustainable solutions to water quality challenges induced by climate change.

International audience ; Conduire une politique efficace en matière d'adaptation aux évolutions climatiques est un enjeu pour les collectivités et tous les acteurs des territoires, notamment dans le domaine de la gestion de la ressource en eau. À partir des premiers résultats d'une analyse de la gouvernance de la sécheresse dans le bassin versant de la Vilaine aval en Bretagne, cet article nous montre comment les éléments de la gouvernance de l'eau peuvent jouer un rôle dans la mise en place de mesures adaptées à la sécheresse face aux impacts liés au changement climatique.

International audience ; Conduire une politique efficace en matière d'adaptation aux évolutions climatiques est un enjeu pour les collectivités et tous les acteurs des territoires, notamment dans le domaine de la gestion de la ressource en eau. À partir des premiers résultats d'une analyse de la gouvernance de la sécheresse dans le bassin versant de la Vilaine aval en Bretagne, cet article nous montre comment les éléments de la gouvernance de l'eau peuvent jouer un rôle dans la mise en place de mesures adaptées à la sécheresse face aux impacts liés au changement climatique.

International audience ; Conduire une politique efficace en matière d'adaptation aux évolutions climatiques est un enjeu pour les collectivités et tous les acteurs des territoires, notamment dans le domaine de la gestion de la ressource en eau. À partir des premiers résultats d'une analyse de la gouvernance de la sécheresse dans le bassin versant de la Vilaine aval en Bretagne, cet article nous montre comment les éléments de la gouvernance de l'eau peuvent jouer un rôle dans la mise en place de mesures adaptées à la sécheresse face aux impacts liés au changement climatique.

This guide presents the work of the team of scientists that have been working in the project "Benefit of Governance in Drought Adaptation" (in short: the DROP project), which has received funding from the Interreg IVB programme of the European Union. As a result of climate change, it is expected that extreme events influencing water management (flooding or drought) will increase. Early adaptation to this trend of increasing climatic extremes is therefore required. Governance plays a crucial role in the adaptation process particularly in restricting or facilitating the implementation of adaptation measures. In-depth knowledge about the governance setting of a given region and how to influence governance processes is therefore essential in realizing effective adaptation.