Lecture 6: International cooperation and conflict Flashcards
what is water stress?
Water stress is a term coined by Falkenmark and taken up by Wolf. It refers to the pressure on water resources development, which leads to intense political pressure. This pressure can be seen as something that leads to conflicts or cooperation. Global water stresses are increasing, but institutions are getting better and more resilient, management and understanding are improving, and these issues are increasingly on the radar of global and local decision-makers.
what is water scarcity?
Water scarcity is a relative concept as it is a function of water needs (both human, animal, or environmental). If there is no need for water (like in a desert) there is no water scarcity. (Zeitoun)
what is the difference between economic and physical water scarcity?
economic water scarcity refers to those situations where water is not a scarce resource, but access to water is lacking. An example would be in countries such as Congo or other Sub-Saharan countries. Physical water stress refers to when the actual presence of the resource is lacking, thus leading to shortages.
what is the hydro-social cycle? Why is it being used?
Zeitoun adopts the idea of the hydro-social cycle (or better spiral) to include the socio-economic dynamics added by human activity on the water cycle. D’odorico et al. added to this spiral the virtual water trade to account for all kinds of water movement.
Why do international water conflicts exist?
globally 19 river basins are shared by 5 or more riparian countries (E.g. the Danube is shared between 17 countries). Sharing a resource can highlight disparities between riparian nations, whether in economic development, infrastructural capacity, or political orientation (Wolf). This tends to add further complications to water resource development, institution, and management.
What are factors that enhance hydro-political resilience?
- international agreements and organizations, such as RBOs
- a history of collaborative projects
generally positive political relations - higher levels of economic development
What are factors that produce hydropolitical vulnerability?
- rapid environmental change
- major unilateral development projects
- the absence of institutional capacity
- generally hostile relations
According to Rodriguez-Labajos et. al., water conflicts can be seen as conflicts over who takes advantage and who loses access to environmental services. What are these services?
- provision (food, raw materials, domestic water, agricultural waters, hydropower production)
- regulation (water purification, flood regulation, biological control)
- cultural (tourism, recreation, aesthetics, customary rights, spiritual & religious benefits)
- support (contribution to the primary production, wildlife habitat, sediment, and nutrient retention and mobilization)
