ERD 2012 New context for NRM and the WEL nexus ERD consultation, 18-19 May 2011, Maastricht
1. Global context for NRM 1. The “social metabolism” story 2. Natural resources and consumption • Idea of de-coupling, etc. 3. Main drivers of change • Demographic (more people) • Socio-economic (wealthier people) • Environmental (e.g. climate change)
2. The WEL nexus 1. Water – Energy – Land • fundamental for human development (i.e. well-being) • essential for economic growth 2. Challenge of NRM is to allocate scarce resources for competing uses/users WEL nexus addresses that challenge 3. Competition among uses/users is being exacerbated in new ways: • Greater and more varied demands (likely to increase scarcity locally) • Climate change (likely to impose further restrictions)
2. The WEL nexus 4. Why look at the WEL intersection? • Intersection highlights new competing uses that did not exist, demand for land and water to produce energy (biofuels)... • as well as new constraints, e.g prevention of deforestation for climate change mitigation 5. Need for an integrated perspective • Separate treatment may have made sense before, but today the links are too deep. Integrated view is crucial for management policies • across resources need to be complementary, compatible.
3. Managing the WEL – from Business as Usual (BAU) to Inclusive and Sustainable Growth (ISG) ISG BAU (desired track) (current track) How do we manage natural resources to change tracks? BAU: non-integrated use of natural resources; efficiency defined with regard to economic costs; labour-saving innovations dominate ISG: use of natural resources within planetary boundaries; economic growth for the benefit of human development; limits to growth?
3. Managing the WEL – from BAU to ISG BAU ISG (current track) (desired track) The WEL nexus addresses the new constraints facing development • Limit / change our use of resources, either by force or by will (idea of planetary boundaries) • Will this imply limits to growth? • Regional differences / unevenness
3. Managing the WEL – from BAU to ISG BAU ISG (current track) (desired track) These constraints also change patterns of international trade, investment, aid, migration flows • How will different countries and sectors be affected? • What alternative routes are opened?
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