Local Government Perspective on Adapting Water Management to Climate Change
For many decades the governing paradigm for urban water management has been reliability. Water supply, sanitation, and storm water control in cities should be engineered for a high level of reliability over the historic range of climate variables. Climate change has already shifted that paradigm. Now we must find a way to resilience – developing adaptive strategies that reduce vulnerability to uncertain but changing climate scenarios.
Why do city governments need to be involved? Isn’t system adaptation a job for water engineers and climate experts? Don’t national governments bear the primary responsibility for funding and regulation to ensure urban water security?
Content Table
- Case Studies Demonstrate Why Local Authorities Matter
- Resources
- Related Materials
- Related Articles
- Links
Case Studies Demonstrate Why Local Authorities Matter
The paper, prepared for the Fifth World Water Forum, Istanbul 2009, gives examples of city strategies for dealing with five climate adaptation challenges: infrastructure inadequacy, inundation, water scarcity, heightened competition for water, and changing pollution risks. Although local governments have very different powers and responsibilities under different national schemes, the case studies underscore important commonalities.
Localizing Risk and Vulnerability Assessments
With half the world’s population living in urban areas, water-related climate risks are intensely concentrated and highly localized in cities. To ensure realistic risk and vulnerability assessments, downscaled climate information from climate experts must be matched with locally-generated data from city agencies – demographics, fine-grained topography, land uses, mapping of infrastructure and public services, neighborhood profiles, socio-economic statistics and cultural norms. Local officials must provide and analyze this information.
Setting the Adaptation Agenda
Mayors and local elected officials have influence beyond their mandates. They rally and inform citizens, convene businesses and civil society, and promote cross-jurisdictional collaboration. Adaptation and resilience will require new values, changed consumer and business choices, and a mix of regulations and incentives in areas beyond the scope of the water utility. Local governments must build the political will to support this work.
Mainstreaming Adaptation and Resilience Strategies in Multiple City Agencies
Effective urban adaptation to climate change requires the participation of the whole range of municipal agencies, not just the water department. Roads, parks, solid waste, health, building regulators, fire and emergency services, and more – all must be active in implementing changes for water security and water safety. Local officials must ensure that adaptation priorities are mainstreamed in all city programs.
Resources
The paper Local Government Perspective on Adapting Water Management to Climate Change was prepared for the 5th World Water Forum, Istanbul 2009, as one of a series of 16 perspectives on water and climate change commissioned by the Cooperative Program on Water and Climate. The report is authored by:
Margaret Pageler
ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability www.iclei.org
World Water Council Board of Governors 2006-2012
Former Council President and 12-year Council member, Seattle City Council
Click Here to read the full version report
Related Materials
SWITCH is an EU-funded research program aimed at achieving more sustainable integrated water management in the “City of the Future.” Coordinated by UNESCO-IHE, SWITCH pursues innovations in 13 demonstration cities. www.switchurbanwater.eu
Resilient Cities 2010 is ICLEI’s first annual world congress on cities and climate adaptation, to be held 28-30 May 2010, Bonn, Germany. This annual convention shares scientific findings, effective approaches and state-of-the-art programs on climate adaptation and resilience-building in cities and urbanized areas. http://resilient-cities.iclei.org
Related Articles
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Links
Full Version: Local Government Perspective on Adapting Water Management to Climate Change
