Adaptation to Climate Change through Water Resources Management: Capacity, Equity and Sustainability

The impacts of human-induced climate change are largely mediated by water, such as alterations in precipitation and glacial melt patterns, variations in river flow, increased occurrence of droughts and floods, and sea level rise in densely populated coastal areas. Such phenomena impact both urban and rural communities in developed, emerging, and developing countries.

Taking a systems approach, this book analyzes evidence from 26 countries and identifies common barriers and bridges for local adaptation to climate change through water resources management. It includes a global set of case studies from places experiencing increased environmental and social pressure due to population growth, development and migration, including in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North and South America.

All chapters consider the crosscutting themes of adaptive capacity, equity, and sustainability. These point to resilient water allocation policies and practices that are capable of protecting social and environmental interests, whilst ensuring the efficient use of an often-scarce resource.

Dominic Stucker is Senior Project Manager at the Collective Leadership Institute in Germany. He is an action-oriented collaborator who convenes diverse teams to address complex sustainability challenges. Dominic specializes in water, climate change, livelihoods and Central Asia, having published with Earthscan/Routledge, MIT Press and academic journals.

Elena Lopez-Gunn is Director of ICATALIST, specialized in knowledge brokerage in the areas of water resources, adaptation and social innovation. She is also an Associate Professor at IE Business School, Spain, working on projects for FAO and for a Spanish energy company. Previously, Elena was a Senior Research Fellow at the Water Observatory at the Botin Foundation, Universidad Complutense de Madrid and a Fellow at the London School of Economics.