Institutional Factors
Affecting Adaptation
As we head into inevitable climate change, how well we adapt to the altered conditions will depend on our preparedness now, especially in areas where available water is already in short supply. Governing water use also involves clearly defining water rights, determining which population is at the most risk and how low water resources can be helped by the international community.
Internationally shared water sources are bound by international agreements which define rights, obligations and assessment of risks. Some mutual agreements specify an amount of water allocated to each country in the region but allocation and enforcement rules are not clearly defined. Climate change and reduced water resources may void such agreements as conflicts over water could lead to intense competition and international rivalry over changing water supplies. We know that climate change will affect water resources and it is up to the nations of the world to calculate how limited resources will be shared before the worst is upon us.
How to effectively deal with water availability and sharing among countries will depend on the various levels of government and private institutions whose responsibility includes fair and efficient water allocation. In some areas individuals, corporations and autonomist groups have the say over how to manage water resources. Some countries rely on government agencies to make decisions on water infrastructure and management. Unfortunately, many existing international agreements do not address issues of equity, efficiency or environmental protection. Informal agreements in some developing countries do not guarantee fairness in the allocation of water to towns and villages that sit just outside large urban areas where water resources are more plentiful. The risk is substantial to those who have no voice in those decisions, are often the poorest population in the area and live in areas where floods and landslides already cause destruction and hardship.
Historically, the policy of water distribution in the U.S. was designed to persuade early settlers to put down roots where water resources of the time must have seemed infinite. Droves of immigrants also needed water and there were often conflicts with those who settled first on the promise of rich pastures and agricultural and irrigation. Rules were developed to protect early investors in irrigated agriculture from competing water diversions by new settlers and defined who would be able to use water during times of shortage. A positive outcome for the times was for smaller consumers to invest in reservoirs to fill during winter and spring prior to the irrigation season. In parts of Asia and North America the landscape is full of dams and reservoirs to divert water, to hold water back from coast lines and rivers and to store excess water. But whenever humans drastically change the landscape there are consequences in nature’s equilibrium.
