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The nexus of water-energy-foodIn Inter-American Development Bank, Sustainability Report 2011, pp. 7-9 Author(s): Escobar, M.Date: March 2012 Research Area(s): Water Resources This article, which serves as the introduction to the Inter-American Development Bank's Sustainability Report 2011, places the water-energy-food nexus in the context of Latin America and the Caribbean. Drawing on the work of Holger Hoff and others, it explains the nexus concept and its relevance to Latin America amid rising incomes and consumption, accelerated development and urbanisation, and increasing concentrations of poor people in peri-urban zones, where they are particularly vulnerable to water, energy and food constraints.More information Download PDF External Link |
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Modifying agricultural water management to adapt to climate change in California's central valleyClimatic Change 109 (Supplement 1), 299-316; Special Issue: California Second Assessment: New Climate Change Impact Studies and Implications for Adaptation Author(s): Joyce, B. ; Mehta, V. ; Purkey, D. ; Dale, L.L.; Hanemann, M.Date: December 2011 Research Area(s): Water Resources Climate change impacts and potential adaptation strategies were assessed using an application of the Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP) system developed for the Sacramento River basin and Delta export region of the San Joaquin Valley. The authors applied the model to evaluate the hydrologic implications of 12 climate change scenarios as well as the water management ramifications of the implied hydrologic changes. In addition to evaluating the impacts of climate change with current operations, the model also assessed the impacts of changing agricultural management strategies in response to a changing climate. Model simulations suggested that increasing agricultural demand under climate change brought on by increasing temperature will place additional stress on the water system, such that some water users will experience a decrease in water supply reliability. To adequately address the impacts of climate change, adaptation strategies will have to include fundamental changes in the ways in which the water management system is operated.External Link |
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Energy-Water-Climate Planning for Development without Carbon in Latin America and the CaribbeanSEI Report Author(s): Escobar, M. ; Flores, F. ; Clark, V.Date: November 2011 Research Area(s): Water Resources ; Energy Modeling Energy is essential for development, but given the urgent need to mitigate climate change, developing nations are under pressure to keep their carbon emissions low. This leaves them with three options: abandon development; ignore climate concerns; or take a third path: finding energy sources that emit little or no carbon. This report focuses on the third option, which we call "development without carbon" (DWC), looking at the viability of hydroelectric power as a low-carbon energy source for Latin America and the Caribbean in a changing climate. Hydropower supplies 46% of the region's electricity, with great untapped potential, but changes in the water supply due to climate change, competing uses, and population growth could thwart further development plans.This report is part of a package that also includes Development without Carbon: Climate and the Global Economy through the 21st Century. More information Download PDF |
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Water Management Adaptations to Prevent Loss of Spring-Run Chinook Salmon in California under Climate ChangeJournal of Water Resources Planning and Management, published online ahead of print Author(s): Thompson, L.C. ; Escobar, M. ; Purkey, D. ; Yates, D. ; Mosser, C.M.; Moyle, P.B.Date: August 2011 Research Area(s): Water Resources Spring-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) are particularly vulnerable to climate change because adults over-summer in freshwater streams before spawning in autumn. In this study, the authors examined streamflow and water temperature regimes that could lead to long-term reductions in spring-run Chinook salmon (SRCS) in a California stream and evaluated management adaptations to ameliorate these impacts. For all climate scenarios and model combinations, the model found increased adult summer thermal mortality and population declines. Of management adaptations tested, only ceasing water diversion for power production from the summer holding reach resulted in cooler water temperatures, more adults surviving to spawn, and extended population survival time, albeit with a significant loss of power production.More information External Link |
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Integrated economic-hydrologic analysis of policy responses to promote sustainable water use under changing climatic conditionsPresented at the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) 2011 Congress, Zurich, Switzerland, Aug. 30-Sept. 2, 2011 Author(s): Blanco-Gutié ; Purkey, D. ; rrez, I.; Varela-Ortega, C.Date: August 2011 Research Area(s): Water Resources This study analyzes the effects of national and European water policies in Spain under normal and dry climate conditions, using a novel hydro-economic model based on the integration of a multiscale economic optimization model and a hydrology water management simulation model built in WEAP. Application of the model was carried out in the Middle Guadiana basin, a surface-irrigated area of about 29,000 km2 in the southwestern Iberian Peninsula. Balancing the trade-offs between agricultural production and nature conservation is one of the major tasks that face policymakers in Spain, and especially in the Guadiana Basin. This paper contributes to the debate by providing an integrated economic-hydrologic modeling framework that captures the dynamics and outcomes of human-hydrological interactions, from farm-level to river-basin levels.More information Download PDF |