Towards joint consideration of adaptive capacity and water security: lessons from the arid Americas.

Published in Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, v. 21:22-28 
Authors

Kirchhoff, C.J., Lara-Valencia, F., Brugger, J., Mussetta, P. and Pineda-Pablos, N.
Publication year 2016
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cosust.2016.10.003
Affiliations

 

  • Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Connecticut, 261 Glenbrook Road, Unit 3037, Storrs, CT 06269-3037, USA
  • School of Transborder Studies, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Institute of Sustainability, Arizona State University, PO Box 875302, Tempe, AZ 85287-5302, USA
  • Institute of the Environment, University of Arizona, ENR2 Building, 1064 E. Lowell Street, Room N582, PO Box 210137, Tucson, AZ 85721-0137, USA
  • Instituto de Ciencias Humanas, Sociales y Ambientales, INCIHUSA &ndash CCT CONICET Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina
  • El Colegio de Sonora, Avenida Obregón #54 Col. Centro, C.P. 83000 Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico

 
IAI Program

CRN3
IAI Project CRN3056
Keywords
Water Security
Adaptive Capacity
Water

Highlights

•Both adaptive capacity and adaptive water management are necessary for water security.

•Crises and transformative adaptive capacity help reshape water management.

•Insufficient or unequal local adaptive capacity challenge gains in water security.

•Water security measures must assess adaptive capacity and adaptive water management.

•Capacity and water security building efforts should not trade-off the disadvantaged.

Abstract

Freshwater resources face enormous pressures to meet human and ecosystem needs in a changing climate. These pressures brought concern for rising water insecurity high on global agendas and, renewed interest in improving water security. This review traces the recent evolution of these efforts including the challenges faced in attempts to enhance water security. In addition, this paper adds a new dimension to water security by proposing a theoretical model that jointly considers interdependencies between water security, adaptive capacity, and adaptive water management. Finally, the review illustrates and critically evaluates these interdependencies using three case studies from the US, Mexico and Argentina, and ends with suggestions for future research.