Water, Environment, and Society Test Two

worst-case scenario of climate change?

"create a better world for nothing"

IWR(L)M Explained

(1) A planning process that promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land, and related resources in order to maximize social and economic welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of ecosystems and the environment (2) Recognizes both physical and social hydrologies (3) Acknowledges the multidimensionality of water (e.g., water for health, agriculture, recreation, etc.) and therefore calls for a holistic approach (4) A representative/democratic process

Manmade/Unnatural Disaster

BP oil spill, West Virginia water supply contamination, lead contamination in Flint water supply, Cuyahoga River fire, Dan River coal ash spill, dam failure due to poor maintenance

Bottled Water

Bottled water is arguably the biggest scam perpetrated on humankind by humankind itself

How does gender manifest?

Law: inheritance, land and property ownership, suffrage, driving, divorce laws Decision making: finances, mobility, children's education, location of residence, marriage decisions, control and allocation of household resources Workplace: wage gaps, female CEOs, (sexual) harassment (warning: graphic) Religion: texts, clerics, polygamy, vow to 'obey' husband, menstruation in Hinduism Government: heads of state, seats in parliament Female Genital Mutilation (e.g., the Sudans, Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia,Eritrea, Mali) Prescribed roles: cooking, raising children, household chores and leaning 'Gendercide' and value reproductivity over productivity of women Exploitation and double standards in the media and marketing Interactions with water and the environment (i.e., this lecture)

Arguments against privatization of water

Market is amoral, invisible hand doesn't care if and who it helps or harms Water tariffs increase for consumers No safety net, so some priced out and left with no access Private firms accountable to shareholders, not consumers or environment Tariffs fail to consider various uses and values attached to water Can be perceived as the corporatization and commodification of nature Conceptually, a public good is replaced with a private good, which conflicts with the idea of water as a human right Foreign firms are often awarded the contracts: it seems hegemonic to have foreign entities in control of national natural resources, not to mention loss of management and decision making over local issues Privatization often tied to unfavorable loans (e.g., SAPs by IMF and World Bank)

Dams

Massive capital and infrastructural undertakings initiated primarily for purposes of development Provide myriad services and benefits However, the impacts on humans (e.g., resettlement) and natural ecologies (e.g., rivers, forests, soil, etc.) are virtually irreparable

WATER MANAGEMENT: PLACE- and SYSTEMS-BASED APPROACHES

Technocratic, prototypical and universal approaches can work, but success is limited by local variables. Unfortunately, these local variables are often absent in the design stage of the project, policy, or intervention. We must modify projects, policies and interventions according to local geographies: (a) Requires a place-based approach (b)Requires a systems-based approach

Dams: Environmental Consequences

The effects of dams on natural ecologies are numerous: (1) Siltation and sedimentation, which builds up and is toxic if stirred up (2) 'Dam flatulence': release of GHGs (CH4 and CO2) from decomposition of organic matter (also released if sediments are dredged) (3) Water quality: -Temperature changes, eutrophication from nutrient-laden sediments, low dissolved oxygen, high mineral concentrations (e.g., salts), acidity (low pH), buildup of mercury that is naturally present in soils -Accumulation of garbage behind dam -Hazard for both natural ecologies and humans (4) Changes in fluvial geomorphology: -Alter natural hydrology, strip freedom of rivers to meander -Lean post-dam flows, lower post-dam water tables, dried up post-dam aquifers -'Hungry' post-dam flows lead to riverbank erosion and scouring of stream beds (5) Interruption of fish migrations and travel to spawning pools (e.g., salmon, sturgeon, steelhead), destruction of mussel habitats, and general ecosystem fragmentation (6) Displacement of land animals and birds due to loss of forests from reservoir (7) Increase in seismic activity and perturbation of time due to colossal weight of reservoir

IWR(L)M

Integrated Water Resources and Land-Use Management

Monetizing Ecosystem Services

It is now common for developers to pay for their destruction of ecosystems and ecosystem services Example: coal companies must 'reconstruct' streams after extraction Example: If you destroy 5 acres of marsh here, then you must 'construct' 5 acres of equivalent marsh somewhere else or pay a fine to cover the destruction (goal to result in zero net impact) Is it possible to reconstruct an equivalent ecosystem in another place? If you pay a penalty to destroy an ecosystem, how much is it worth? Incentives are provided to farmers and landowners to manage land in ways that support ecosystem services: (1) Riparian filter strips (water quality and erosion) (2) Paid to 'no till' or leave land fallow (erosion control, soil quality, nutrient management) (3) Credits for retention cells and penalties for impervious surfaces (i.e., disincentive)

Cell Phone Revolution

The proliferation of cell phones to the masses can be considered an agricultural revolution (1) Farmers and fishers receive real-time data via text messages: (a) Weather alerts and forecasts on planting, harvesting, when to irrigate, severe weather, floods, hurricane season, etc. (b) Seasonal migrations and spawning of fish and marine organisms (c) Market reports and prices for commodities at nearby villages (e) Information from trade unions and cooperatives (2) Cell phone also an instrument for empowerment: (a)Information on prices and when and where to buy/sell commodities and equipment facilitates informed negotiating and decision making at markets and when dealing with middlemen (b) Can also be considered a tool for poverty alleviation

Agricutural Revolution

There have been many agricultural revolutions: Neolithic (1) Green (2) Biotech (3) White (4) Blue (5) Cell phone

Ecosystem

Thus, ecologists study ecosystems, which are communities of living organisms and nonliving components of the environment that combine to form an integrated, symbiotic network that may be studied in its parts but operates as a whole Ecosystems provide numerous services and benefits, which are referred to as ecosystem services

Hazard

agent that has the potential to cause a disaster

Water Pricing Tariffs

amount charged by water provider to water consumers (i.e., the price) -Should be higher than cost to facilitate sustainability in terms of management, operation, maintenance, improvement and expansion of the water supply system

regulating services

benefits we receive from ecosystem processes (1) Clean water, clean air, climate regulation, carbon sequestration, protection from natural disasters, beaches from parrot fish poop

Water Treatment Center

brings water out of the new river (1) coagulation and flocks (2) settling tanks (3) filters in building (4) chlorine and ammonia added

Economic sustainability

can be financed & managed over long-run; cost recovery mechanism and operation & maintenance plan in place; costs in line with local context; materials for upkeep are locally available & affordable

Climate Change is Water Change

changes the timing, frequency and intensity of precipitation, and results in general perturbations of the hydrologic cycle -In general, wet places wetter, dry places drier -Increase in hydrometeorological hazard occurrence and intensity (floods and hurricanes as well as droughts, heat waves and forest fires) -Disasters and changes in precipitation patterns will affect agricultural productivity, possibly resulting in food shortages, food insecurity and famine

Sex

chromosomally and biologically determined; physical; presence of sex organs; born with it

Complex Disaster Typology

combination of natural and human origins (1) Epidemics and bioterrorism (2) Famine and food insecurity (3) Technological, industrial and infrastructural failures caused by envt./ecological stressors (4) Event that shouldn't have escalated to a disaster—it should have been contained, but human systems failed

Unitization

dividing and packaging of a commodity into discrete, standardized units so it can be sold or traded (e.g., liter, acre, kilogram, karat, board feet, bushel, day, minute)

Water resources facilitate vector-borne diseases

e.g., malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika

Supporting Services

ecosystem services that enable the existence of other ecosystem services (1) Water facilitates nutrient cycling, pollination, soil formation and seed dispersal (2) Water acts as a habitat and supports biodiversity (3) Water allows for primary production to form the first trophic level (4)The hydrologic cycle

Aquaculture

farming of fresh and saltwater organisms such as fish (e.g., carp, catfish, tilapia, salmon), mollusks (e.g., oysters, clams, abalone), and crustaceans (e.g., prawn, crab) (a) Also farming of aquatic vegetation (e.g., seaweed) and ornamental fish (e.g., koi) (b) 45% of fish production via aquaculture as opposed to wild caught (c) Dominated by Asia, with China producing about 1⁄2 of global production

Participation

genuine input among all potential stakeholders that influences and ultimately leaves an imprint on the project, policy, or intervention

Hydroponics

growing plants (e.g., flowers) and agricultural commodities (e.g., tomatoes) with a mineral and nutrient rich solution in the absence of soil (a)Soil acts as reservoir for plant nutrients, but roots can also absorb nutrient ions directly from water, so soil is not necessary (b) Minerals and nutrients are artificially added to water and absorbed by roots (c) Roots are placed in beds of gravel, clay pebbles, perlite, or directly in the solution

Ecology

is the study of complex natural environments, specifically: Their organisms(from pathogens, parasites and popinjays to polar bears and apex predators) Their vegetation(from lichens, moss and algae to towering pines and redwoods) The setting in which they reside (i.e., water, air, temperature, soil, nutrients and their cycling) And interactions, interdependencies, feedbacks, adaptations and competition among the above

Water Pricing Cost

monetary cost of water provision incurred by the water provider -Actual cost incurred to extract freshwater, treat it, and deliver it to endpoints -Actual cost to get water from the environment to your house

Gender

socially constructed perceptions of masculinity and femininity; a product of social norms, relations and stereotypes; not biologically determined and not constant

Water Pricing Value

subjective measure of how people or communities perceive the worth of water across its multidimensional uses -Based on perceptions, culture, epistemology, philosophies and conceptualizations of water -Varies from person to person and community to community—even when valuing the same water for the same end use—because people place different levels of importance on water and have different preferences and expectations (e.g., that water should be free or that it should be commodified) -Water is a multidimensional resource and each human has their own preferences, so there is no single value that is correct

Benefits of Ecosan

(1) Utilizes natural fertilizers (N, P, K) that are already present, so less chemical fertilizers applied and better nutrient management Protects ground and surface waters from pollution (because waste is better managed) (2) Decreases demand for treated water (less chemicals and electricity to run plant) (3) Green energy production (from feces and biowaste) (4) Improves water and soil quality, promotes food security, and aids public health (through safe segregation and use of pollution, less pollution released in environment, natural fertilizers, and enhanced yields)

Climate change effects on water

(1) climate change is water change (2) melting glaciers, ice sheets, and snowpacks

Water Pricing Key Concepts

(1) cost (2) tariff (3) value

Disaster Typology

(1) environmental/ecology (2) manmade/unnatural (3) complex

Sustainability Tripod

(1) environmentally (2) economic (3) social

Services Ecosystems Provide

(1) provisioning services (2) regulating services (3) cultural services (4) supporting services

Water Tariff Schemes

(1) subjective measure of how people or communities perceive the worth of water across its multidimensional uses (2) Based on perceptions, culture, epistemology, philosophies and conceptualizations of water (3) Varies from person to person and community to community—even when valuing the same water for the same end use—because people place different levels of importance on water and have different preferences and expectations (e.g., that water should be free or that it should be commodified) (4) Water is a multidimensional resource and each human has their own preferences, so there is no single value that is correct

waste water treatment plant

(1) take big stuff out (2) grit removed (3) settling/ primary clarification (4) bacteria eats flocks (5) settling/ secondary clarification (6) UV treatment (7) send it back to the river

Water can be...

(1) the disaster agent (2) affected by disaster (3) a habitat or reservoir for disaster (4) can facilitate other disaster

Soft Path In-depth

(a) Enhanced irrigation (more crop per drop),reduce E and ET losses, alter cropping based on climate (b) Groundwater recharge, less impervious surfaces and RWH (c) Pricing, economic (dis)incentives, and other policies and tools to reward wise use and penalize wasteful use (d) Ecosan, composting, dry and low-flow toiletsHigh efficiency appliances (e) Aquaponics, reuse/recycle water, and other decentralized systems that harness wastewater as a resource (f) Reduce water footprint and virtual water use by repurposing, recycling and donating goods (e.g., Goodwill, garage sales) (g) Reforestation, xeriscaping and climate-sensitive landscaping (h) 'Soften' hard infrastructure already in place (e.g., decrease UFW in existing piped systems)

Hard Path In-depth

(a) Need more water, so 'solution' is to exploit and develop more water resources (b) More dams, reservoirs, canals, diversions, irrigation, GW extractions, etc. (c) Centralized systems and mega-projects founded on technocractic and prototypical approaches (d) Basically, just keep doing what we've been doing (...but this 20th century 'solution' won't work in the long run!)

Water resources act as habitats/reservoirs for waterborne diseases

(e.g., typhoid, cholera, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, Ebola)

Privatization

transfer of ownership of a public industry, service, resource, or property from the public sector (i.e., govt.) to the private sector

Commodification

transformation of 'things' into goods/services that are not typically considered goods/services so they can be marketed, sold, consumed and ultimately converted into profits

Human and natural water systems are affected by disasters

water and wastewater treatment centers are incapacitated; pipes break; pressure failures and backflows; wells and surface bodies contaminated with sewerage, chemicals and saline water; rivers absorb accelerated flows and nutrient loads; landslides cover springs; droughts dry up springs; etc. Humans are affected: forced to boil, go without, or consume unsafe water while coping with issues of enhanced morbidity and dehydration (elderly, children, pregnant and lactating women are acutely affected)

Gender and the Environment Food Production

women play a key role in all aspects of food production (from sowing seeds to selling produce at market to cooking the food) Work alongside men in the fields; sell fish from the family catch; plant gardens to supplement household food and nutrition; and process, prepare, manage and store food obtained through agriculture, fishing and gardening

Concerns Surrounding Aquaculture

(1) Competition between farmed and wild species (2) Increase in existing diseases and introduction of new diseases (3) Concentrations of antibiotics, hormones and pharmaceuticals in organisms and aquatic ecosystems (4) Introduction of non-native, invasive and GMO species into aquatic ecosystems (5) Fish waste (e.g., excreta, carcasses) is nutrients, which contribute to eutrophication and decreased oxygen levels (waste also contains high levels of ammonia) (6) Decreased environmental (e.g., increase in nutrients) and recreational water quality (e.g., increase in zoonoses) (7) Coastal production destroys mangroves and beaches, which decreases biodiversity and increases hazard vulnerability (8) Salination and mineralization of soil and groundwater when practiced on land

Soft Path

(1) Demand-side approach (2) Solve water quantity problems by decreasing demand, increasing water use efficiency, and thus increasing the productivity of water (3) Does not equate to a decrease in standard of living or economic growth (4) Rather, can create a more lean, mean, resilient and sustainable economy through increases in ag. and industrial efficiency, crops/products per drop, and envt. health

Effects of dams on humans are also numerous:

(1) Displacement: Three Gorges Dam in China resulted in relocation of ~1.2M, many to other provinces (2) Conflicts from 'stealing' water from downstream states or countries (3) Dam failures: old and poorly maintained structures are hazardous -South Fork Dam, PA (2,209 fatalities); St. Francis Dam, CA (600 fatalities);Banqiao and ShimantanDams, China (171,000 fatalities); also the Teton Dam (ID) and Delhi Dam (IA) (4) Impact artifacts and archaeological sites (e.g., Aswan High Dam in Egypt) (5) Disease outbreaks (e.g., schistosomiasis) (6) Livelihoods disrupted upstream and downstream (7) Loss of fertile agricultural land alongside rivers (8) Thus, dam removal now a social and ecological movement

Melting glaciers, ice sheets and snowpacks

(1) Earlier and greater springtime flooding from melting snowpacks (2) Sea level rise from melting glaciers and ice sheets, resulting in 'environmental refugees' (e.g., Bangladesh, Maldives, Hampton Roads, Norfolk) (3) Salination of groundwater and coastal aquifers as seawater encroaches the land (4) Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)

Pumped-Storage Hydroelectricity

(1) Electrical production often doesn't match demand, so storage is a major issue (2) To address mismatch, the gravitational potential energy of water can be used for 'load balancing' (3) When energy load surplus, the surplus electricity is used to pump water up to a higher reservoir (4) When energy load deficit, the water is allowed to flow back down to regenerate the electricity that would have otherwise been lost * Often used in combination with wind and solar electricity production

How Ecosans Work

(1) First, harvest rainwater for personal use (e.g., gardens, toilet flushing, laundry) and allow remaining stormwater to infiltrate (e.g., retention ponds) (a) These actions result in less treated water supplies to begin with and greater groundwater recharge (2) Separate urine and feces (a)Urine can be applied directly to farm fields as a fertilizer (urine is generally free of pathogens) (b)Feces can be dried* and applied to fields or used to generate energy (e.g., methane, combustion) (3)Separate grey water and use it as fertilizer and/or for groundwater recharging (4) Compost other biodegradable waste (e.g., banana peels, egg shells), add it to feces, and/or use it to generate energy

Unitization is Required for Commodification

(1) First, water is unitized by fluid ounce, liter, gallon, cubic meter, acre feet, etc. (2) Next, a price per unit is calculated based on the cost of production and desired profit margin (3) Finally, consumers are charged that price per unit of water—thus, the water has been commodified

Climate Change Specific Effects on Water

(1) Increase in endemicity(both latitude and altitude) of vector-borne diseases that require water (e.g., malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Zika, West Nile) (2) Rise in ocean temps, resulting in changes in ocean currents and thus regional and global wind patterns (which ultimately govern oscillations, climates and precipitation) (3) Ocean acidification from absorption of additional CO2, resulting in destruction of coral reefs and biodiversity loss (4) Rise in surface water body temps, thus decreasing oxygen levels and impacting aquatic life (5) Challenges providing steady water supplies (6) Decreased hydroelectricity production (7) Changes in and more risky agriculture (8) Increased infrastructure damage (e.g., roads, stormwatersystems) (9) The unknowns and unforeseens

Examples of Commodification

(1) Patriotism and American flag transformed into bikinis, flip flops, paper plates and pins (2) Idea of freedom and limited government imbued on Virginia license plates (3) Sex(uality) sold via movies, media, video games and prostitution (4) Transforming nature into a national park and charging admission to enjoy it (5) Paying an entry fee to visit a historical location/monument (6) 'Museumization' of indigenous cultures, dances and arts

Characteristics of a Good Water Tariff Scheme

(1) Should be simple, straightforward and logical; consumers should be able to look at the bill and understand why and how they were charged (2) If you use more, you should be charged more; if you use less, you should be charged less ('user pays' principle) (3) Should be able to anticipate the amount of the bill (4) Should ensure cost recovery to facilitate sustainable management, operation, maintenance, improvement and expansion of the water supply system (5) Should simultaneously promote wise use of finite resources, human rights and environmental health

Water Management Basics

(1) Soft path over hard path (2) Focus on agriculture(which uses 70% of all water), with other sectors simultaneously becoming more efficient and reducing demand (3) Integrate green water management with blue water management (4) Shift paradigm from wastewater as pollution to wastewater as a resource (5) Decrease impervious surfaces and recharge groundwater and aquifers (6) Don't over appropriate environmental flows or mine groundwater (7) Consider virtual/embedded water and water footprints (8)'Design with nature' (i.e., more green and environmentally sustainable infrastructure)

Unitization of Water

(1) Sold in gallons, cubic feet, or cubic meters by water providing authorities (2) Sold in bottles or jugs in stores (3) Measured in acre feet for irrigation

Hard Path

(1) Supply-side approach (2) 'Solve' water quantity problems by increasing supply (3) The further development of water by extracting, exploiting and supplying more water

Provisioning Services

- materials we get from nature (1) Water itself (2) Fish and seafood, crops, plants, flowers, lumber, wild game, livestock and pets (all of which survive because water exists) (3) Hydropower, transportation and navigation via water

How does climate change occur?

-Solar radiation penetrates atmosphere -Earth absorbs energy and re-radiates -Most energy escapes atmosphere BUT NOW.... -GHGs trap more energy in atmosphere -Less heat escapes -Heat trapped > heat that escapes means Earth heats up

Price of Water

1 liter of water or soda costs about $1.50 1,893 liters (500 gallons)of public water also costs about $1.50

Four principles of IWR(L)M

1.Water is a finite and vulnerable resource that is essential to sustain life, human development and the environment (i.e., water is multidimensional and under threat) 2.Water development and management should be based on a participatory approach involving users, planners and policy-makers at all levels (i.e., participation is required across all stakeholders and scales) 3.Women play a central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water and thus must be included in management (i.e., recognize the water-gender nexus) 4.Water has economic value in all of its competing uses and should therefore be recognized as an economic good to promote wise use (i.e., if water is free we won't value it as much, if we pay for water it will be used more efficiently)

Erin Ling

20 percent or 1/5 of Virginia's use private water supplies Virginia is geographically diverse paramcuticles in wells include: (1) Oxycarbazepine (2) Methylparaben (3) Triclosan (4) Gabapetin (5) Caffeine contaminants in ground water include: (1) nitrates (2) total coliform (3) e.coli

As a result of Hurricane Mitch (1998)

20,000 latrines were destroyed in Guatemala, 32% of water supply infrastructure was damaged in Nicaragua, and 40% of Hondurans lacked access to potable water one month after the disaster. Damage to wat-san infrastructure totaled USD $58 million in Honduras alone.

Location of dams in the USA and its Territories

79,777 dams (based on filters used in this study) Other reports estimate 83,000 dams!

What is climate change?

Climate change is a slowly unfolding, intractable disaster of global human and ecological proportions. Climate change threatens to impact all flora and fauna—some positively, some negatively—and, unless reversed, the impacts will be permanent as far as humans are concerned. Water resources are a major driver of and will be acutely affected by these processes. Thus, climate change is water change.

Dams: Services and Benefits

Dams provide numerous services and benefits and have improved countless lives through: (1) Generation of hydroelectricity (2) Water storage and diversion for irrigation (especially crucial in dry seasons and droughts) (3) Reliable water supplies for cities (4) Navigation and movement of goods (5) Flood control (6) Recreation: fishing, hunting, boating, water skiing, beaches, camping, parks, aesthetics (7) Tourism and hospitality industry

Disasters Caveat

In terms of the nature, envt./ecological disasters are neither good nor bad Rather, they are disruptions that occur from time to time as part of regular hydrometeorological and geophysical processes and are to be expected In fact, natural disasters sometimes produce ecologically beneficial outcomes:Forest fires replenish soil fertility and allow out-competed flora to grow Hurricanes 'mix up' dead zones Floods can wash out legacies of nutrient buildup Volcanoes provide fertile soil, create new islands, and thus create new ecologies and habitats

Disaster

Disaster = Hazard + Social and/or Ecological System + Impact that Exceeds Capacity Therefore, a hazard that fails to maim or kill humans, incapacitate anthropic systems, or severely damage ecological functions is not considered a disaster

Gender and the Environment Disasters

Disasters, on average, kill more women than men based on analyses of 4,605disasters in 141 countries from 1981-2002 and a meta-analysis of 100+ papers Preexisting gendered vulnerabilities carried over and magnified during disasters Less mobility, access to resources and knowledge on where to access healthcare and food Also an increase in physical, emotional and sexual violence against women after disasters

Systems-based approach

Each location comprises numerous unique dynamics/processes that interact: (a) Ecosystems (b)Climatic systems (c) Hydrological systems (d) Human systems Therefore, each project/policy/intervention must be designed and implemented differently to accommodate for feedbacks, indirect flows, and cumulative effects among the unique dynamic and interrelated systems that exist in each distinct location (i.e., a change in one system will have cascading effects other systems) Together, a combined place- and systems-based approach captures the inherent uniqueness of a location. This joint approach incorporates the distinct features/attributes and dynamics/processes of a place to enable us to: identify problems, understand problems, formulate solutions, and ultimately operationalize nuanced methods to solve the problems.The introduction of wolves may have been successful, but the introduction of beavers in Patagonia was not

Place-Based Approach

Each place is a composite of numerous unique attributes/features: (a) Soil type, bedrock, slope, flora, fauna, water resources (b)Land-use, built environment, infrastructure (c) Economy, industry, agriculture (d) Political structure (e) Culture, religion, language, beliefs, values, ideologies, epistemologies Therefore, each project/policy/intervention must be designed and implemented differently to accommodate for the unique diversity of attributes/features that exist in each distinct location

Complex

Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown, Hurricane Katrina, Cyclone Nargisdisaster response, Haiti cholera epidemic, sinkholes and land subsidence, landslides caused by land use, Toledo water supply contamination, dam failure due to ecological stressors (e.g., flood or earthquake), lagoons breached by Hurricane Florence

Sex and Gender

In society, sex is what you're born as, and gender is what is expected of you because of that (and what is expected of you varies across societies)

Environmental/Ecological Nexus

Geophysical: tsunami, liquefaction, avalanche Hydrometeorological: hurricane, hail, blizzard, flood, drought, erosion, landslides caused by precipitation

Why does climate change occur?

Human activities emit GHGs, including: Carbon Dioxide (CO2): energy production, land use change (e.g., deforestation), transportation, industry, garbage, dams; Atmospheric concentration increased from 280 to >400 ppm in last 100 years Methane (CH4): livestock, dams, garbage, land use change Nitrous Oxide (N2O): agriculture and its chemicals (H)CFCs/Freons: refrigeration, industry, fire suppression Water Vapor (H2O): amplifies other GHGs to create a 'positive feedback loop' in which higher temps result in more E and ET, which results in more vapor, which then results in higher temps and more E and ET, and so on...

Arguments for privatization of water

Private market more efficient: profit motive of firms results in tighter management, less waste and greater efficiency in order to maintain financial solvency Govt. poor at cost recovery and slow to raise tariffs in line with cost of provision, so market-based price is required to cover actual cost of provision Market-based price forces consumers to reduce wastage and use water more wisely, which benefits both humans and the environment Increase in efficiency and cost recovery will facilitate provision to unserved and underserved communities Level of service will improve (i.e., quality, quantity and continuity in supply) because private market delivers services better than the govt.

Perceptions of Bottled Water

Pure, pristine, healthy, clear, refreshing beverageSexy beverageStatus symbolSourced from an exotic waterfall, or perhaps from a spring high in the Swiss Alps

What is climate change?

Significant, permanent shift in geohistorical climatic patterns: -Marked by increase in mean temps of atmosphere, oceans and surface waters (i.e., a general warming of the globe) -Correlates with human activities -Climatic trends, not anecdotal events Warming occurring at unprecedented rate: -1.4 °F rise in surface temp in 20th century, hottest days and years on record (e.g., 15 of last 16 years are hottest on record) -Prediction: 4-8 °F rise in 21st century under potential scenarios -Data and science virtually unassailable: >97% of scientists, 23+ models, different data sets at different scales, and 13,000+ scientific papers concur. This is not an issue of left or right, it's an issue of whether you're pro-science/facts or anti-science/facts.

The disaster cycle

Societies are in a perpetual disaster cycle When we are not in a disaster, we are either recovering from the last disaster or mitigating and preparing for the next disaster Therefore, we are always in one stage of the disaster cycle *migration *preparedness

Patricipatory approach

Sometimes people are involved, but manipulated. Sometimes people are involved, but are simply informed. Neither approach constitutes participation! Participatory approaches transcend 'nonparticipation' and 'tokenism' to enable genuine control over decision-making In addition to being the right thing to do, participatory approaches are proactive because they facilitate the ability to: (1) Anticipate and resolve mismatches between: (A) the project, policy, or intervention; and (B) the people, place and systems upon which the project/policy/intervention will be overlaid (2) Incorporate historical and indigenous water management traditions (3)Remedy potential pitfalls at the design stage—in essence, averting failure(Arnstein, 1969)PARTICIPATORY APPROACH

Water Sustainability

Sustainability is vital so that a water project, policy, or intervention can actually take root, become permanent, and affect positive change for humans & the environment

Gender and Water

Water is predominantly retrieved by women and girls: (a) Walk long distances, tote heavy loads, injuries and joint pain, animal attacks (e.g., hippos and crocodiles) (b) Conflicts over scarce resources (c) Opportunity costs: loss of paid and unpaid work, loss of leisure time, other tasks displaced, miss school Women also primarily responsible for household water management: (a) Storing and serving water (b) Boiling and PoU treatment to improve quality (c) Manage water for cooking, cleaning, bathing and laundry (d) Must cope with shortages and often go without water for sake of the family Disproportionately exposed to waterborne illnesses and zoonoses Unique health issues related to water (e.g., menstrual hygiene, dehydration affects lactation) Given this situation, women are explicitly recognized in IWRM

Water Management

Water management is not actually about managing water, it's about managing people.

Gender and the Environment Wood and Biomass

Wood and biomass for fuel is primarily retrieved by women and girls Also perform most cooking and boiling of liquids, resulting in increased A(L)RI, cataracts, lungcancer, low birth weight in children, burns and scalds, etc.

Econsan

a decentralized method of sustainable water, wastewater and nutrient management that closes the current loop of harnessing water, treating water, polluting water, and then treating the wastewater by instead reusing/recycling the wastewater because polluted water has beneficial uses (a) Changes 'flush and forget' paradigm by situating wastewater as a resource instead of pollution—it creates a sustainable 'poop loop'

Disaster

a hazard confronts a social system (e.g., economy, built environment, people) or ecology and causes a level of damage that exceeds ability to manage the situation (1) Thus, a disaster is the "major detrimental impact of a hazard upon the population and economic, social, and built environment of an affected area" (Schwab et al., 1998) (2) A hurricane is a hazard and only becomes a disaster if: (1) it encounters a social and/or ecological system, and (2) it causes damage that outstrips social, political, economic and infrastructural capacit (3) A hurricane that originates and dissipates in the middle of the ocean is not a disaster, and a hurricane that introduces little damage upon social systems is not a disaster

Aquapronics

a hybridized food production system that integrates aquaculture and hydroponics to fashion an artificial symbiotic ecology (a) Aquaculture of organisms results in nutrients, which are a nuisance (b) However, nutrients are valuable to plants because they act as a fertilizer (c) So, aquaponics uses waste as a resource to fashion a closed-loop system: (d) Grey water from organisms is circulated to plants. The plants consume the nutrients and then the clean water is routed back to the organisms—both benefit and no need for chemical fertilizers! (e) Extremely efficient in terms of food output and pollution/grey water created (f) Can be operationalized virtually anywhere (only need light, electricity, water, feed and oxygen)

Environmental sustainability

impacts on ecosystem are negligible; sensitive development that may actually reverse prior environmental damages; 'designing with nature' rather than competing with nature

Blue Revolution

increased efficiency of water use for agricultural production in the form of aquaculture, hydroponics, and aquaponics (a) Rather than 'hunting and gathering' aquatic organisms, these methods produce aquatic organisms in enclosed, concentrated spaces (...but it's much more than just fish farming) (b) Kind of like the green revolution for traditional agriculture and white revolution for milk, but for water

Ecofeminisim

nexus of feminism and ecology contending that parallels exist between male oppression of women and male oppression of the environment (a) Patriarchal structures seek to dominate and exploit both nature and women (b) Men reduce nature to capital, resources and profit just as they objectify women and reduce them to prescribed gender roles and sex objects (c) Man-Nature binaries (in which humans are separate from and above nature, rather than part of it) are similar to Man-Woman binaries in which: (d) Men strong-women weak; men rational-women irrational; men logical-women emotional; men studs-women sluts; male politician assertive-female politician a bitch... rather than men and women situated as equals who deserve equal treatment

Cultural services

nonmaterial benefits we gain from ecosystems (1) Use of water as theme and motivation for novels, films and art (2) Use of water in religions (e.g., animism, Shintoism, holy water) (3) Ecotourism, recreation and aesthetics (4) The study of water and the environment in school, including this class!

Manmade/unnatural Disaster Typology

originate in human processes and human failures (1) Technological, industrial and infrastructural failures not originating in natural/ecological stressors (2) Conflict, war zones, terrorism, oil/chemical spill, natural gas explosion, transportation accidents

Environmental/Ecological Disaster Typology

originate in natural processes that exist in the absence of humans (1)Geophysical (2) Hydrometeorological (3) Caveat: are some envt./ecological disasters (e.g., hurricanes, floods) now unnatural and caused by climate change?