Presentation from the 2014 World Water Week in Stockholm

Transcription

1 Presentation from the 2014 World Water Week in Stockholm The Author(s), all rights reserved

2 Assessment of the Water-Food-Energy- Ecosystems Nexus in the Alazani/Ganykh River Basin: towards a broader understanding of benefits of transboundary cooperation 24 June 2014, Geneva Mark Howells Professor, Energy Systems Analysis Royal Institute of Technology

3 Why a Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus in transboundary river basins? Need to integrate/coordinate: Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus Human developm ent Climate change 1. A better understanding of intersector and inter-resources dynamics allows accounting for impacts & more effective resource management 2. To make policies and actions more coherent across sectors and countries Sectoral policies Available technolog ies & possible actions Country 1: policies and actions Country 2: policies and actions Communication, collaboration and joint action!

4 Assessment of the Water-Food-Energy- Ecosystems Nexus under the UNECE Water Convention: key facts Part of the Convention s Work Programme Guided by the Task Force on the Water-Food-Energy-Ecosystems Nexus Some 6-8 basins to be assessed, responding to requests pan-europe, Africa, Asia; different nexus settings, resource scarcity etc. Key partners: Finland (lead)/finnish Environment Institute SYKE, Royal Institute of Technology (Stockholm), FAO Methodology developed, aiming at a balanced approach piloted on the Alazani/Ganikh (Georgia and Azerbaijan); basin workshop in November 2013 Assessment of the Sava on-going; workshop held in March 2014 Nexus Task Force meets next 8-9 September 2014 to review the work & plans; 3rd meeting in April 2015 to endorse the contents A stock-taking report for the 7th MoP in November 2015 Convention of the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

5 Substantive elements of the approach Step Actors Location 1 Identification of basin conditions and its socio economic context Analysts. Desk study 2 Identifying the economic sectors to be included Analysts. Authorities Desk study 3 Sector analysis Analysts. Authorities Desk study/ Workshop 4 Intersectoral mapping Stakeholders Workshop 5 Nexus dialogue Stakeholders Workshop 6 Identification of synergies Stakeholders. Analysts Workshop/ Desk study => basis for a later quantitative trade-off analysis (depending on the countries interest & availability of donor funding)

6 Why is assessing inter-sectoral links the Alazani/Ganykh basin timely? Good collaboration between Georgia and Azerbaijan good network Major support from UNDP-GEF Kura project: IWRM plans developed in Georgia and in Azerbaijan, Strategic Action Need for economic development: inter-sectoral considerations timely to limit economic externalities & environmental impacts Existing effort to reduce environmental degradation from both sides Opportunities from new energy policy efforts and modernizing agriculture Agreement on transboundary waters being negotiated (AZ-GE); multi-sector representation from the countries

7 Nexus Workshop in Kachreti, Georgia November 2013 Organised in cooperation with: UNDP/GEF project Reducing Transboundary Degradation in the Kura Aras River Basin and the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources of Georgia Among the participants: ministries of environment, energy, agriculture, emergency situations, communities, agencies, companies, civil society

8 Work in groups and in plenary discussions 1. Nexus issues specific to the basin highlighted What the countries plan? Are the plans of the different sectors compatible? What do changing drivers & the climate outlook mean for the nexus? How to better reconcile the different uses? 2. Sectoral and national plans shared What opportunities there are to reduce negative intersectoral impacts and enhance synergy? Institutional arrangements at transboundary level conducive to intersectoral coordination? 3. Potential solutions identified Changes to policies, new policies, management and measures practices, institutional arrangements, ways the infrastructure is operated...

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10 Energy Land / Food Using Gasification Firewood as and primary Electrification of Rural energy Areas source Deforestation Reforestation Energy Growth Water Improvement Degradation of Hydrological Regime With Improved Water Management Restoration Loss of of ecosystems services Ecosystems

11 Some intersectoral challenges and opportunities Wood use for household consumption contributes to deforestation aggravating land degradation and adds to sediment loads Deforestation plan, new energy policy, improving access to modern fuel supplies in rural areas (gasification, kerosene), improving viability of agriculture & developing agro-industries Water infrastructure is aged and commonly degraded, water use efficiency could be improved especially in the agricultural sector (reduces also energy requirements) Improved regulation of water use, pricing and other economic instruments and new investments in infrastructure Flooding damages the different sectors and sectors plans (e.g. land management) Improved planning and coordination of measures (also at transboundary level); addressing deforestation

12 Some intersectoral challenges and opportunities ( ) Main sources of water pollution into the river are wastewaters and agricultural return waters (impact also on groundwaters) New wastewater treatment facilities and improvement of agricultural practices (as well as reclamation of illegal landfills) Water infrastructure is aged and commonly in degraded condition, water use efficiency could be improved especially in the agricultural sector Improved regulation of water use, pricing and other economic instruments and new investments in infrastructure Hydropower development increasing; How to increase sustainability? apply good practices and guidelines (e.g. of the Alpine countries) to minimise impacts on environment & other uses It is essential that policy incentives, economic instruments and other supportive measures are well addressed to support not just development of good practices, but also consider wider intersectoral impacts

13 Next steps on the Nexus in the Alazani/Ganykh Draft assessment developed and sent for comments to the national authorities Findings to be discussed at the nexus Task Force 8-9 September 2014, and possibly in the countries in the framework of the EUWI National Policy Dialogues A shorter assessment to be prepared, maps and infographics prepared; assessment to be presented for endorsement in April 2015 Some possible joint actions.identified. Who could take action? Follow-up activities? Impacts of some policies or joint actions could be assessed in detail Can some of the findings be reflected in the national IWRM plans? Can other processes address some of the issues? Azerbaijan s new Water Strategy, development plan for the regions? Georgia s new Energy Strategy, new Water Law? The bilateral agreement on water cooperation? What can be done with the support of UNDP-GEF Kura project s continuation?

14 Some concluding points To effectively address the nexus, legal and institutional basis and coordination need to be strengthened Value of strategic planning in locating infrastructure projects, consideration of multiple uses Ensuring relevant sectors' representation and consultation also in institutions for transboundary cooperation For reconciling different sectoral water uses, useful to: 1) Look beyond the basin, at appropriate scales, 2) identify additional benefits from comanagement and coordination as opportunities for cooperation, and 3) conduct (policy) dialogue, building understanding and trust between stakeholders See the complementarities in the countries resource bases!