Climate risk and water security Riesgos climáticos y seguridad hídrica

Climate risk and water security
A meeting to synthesize the knowledge from IAI
projects on climate risk and water security in the
Americas was held in March 2011 in Los Cabos,
Mexico, under the auspices of the IAI and the
University of Arizona (UA). The meeting brought
together 40 researchers and water managers
from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Mexico,
and United States who shared results on the
vulnerability of water supplies under global change,
and identified challenges and successful strategies
for water management in dry regions of the
Americas. One outcome of this meeting will be the
The group of participants // El grupo de participantes
establishment of an IAI Center for Climate Risk and
Water Security (AQUASEC), led by UA in close
collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Católica
de Chile. AQUASEC will collect and generate knowledge on water, climate, energy, environment and adaptation.
It also will provide institutional support for the growing networks of researchers, decision-makers, and other
stakeholders concerned with climate risk and water security in the Americas. Its website is just being developed:
www.aquasec.org.
Participants at the Los Cabos workshop identified key challenges to water security: water scarcity and uncertain
or variable supplies, governance, allocation conflicts between sectors (e.g., urban/rural or mining/agriculture),
the water-energy nexus (the energy needed for pumping irrigation water and the water needed for hydropower
generation), lack of long-term climate information, insufficient meteorological monitoring throughout the
Americas, and difficulties in communicating climate risk and forecast uncertainties to stakeholders. The group
committed to producing policy-relevant, interdisciplinary knowledge and to engaging water managers and decision
makers across sectors, and facilitating public participation.
The eighteenth Conference of the Parties of the IAI, on 15 June 2011 endorsed the creation of Centers of
Excellence, such as AQUASEC. Delegates from IAI Member Countries expressed support for the creation of the
center, which is an important result of the scientific efforts of the CRN and SGP-HD programs, and recognized
the joint efforts of the University of Arizona and the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Riesgos climáticos y seguridad hídrica
En marzo de 2011, se realizó en Los Cabos, México,
una reunión para sintetizar los conocimientos
obtenidos en los proyectos del IAI sobre riesgo
climático y seguridad hídrica en las Américas, con el
auspicio del IAI y la Universidad de Arizona (UA).
El evento reunió a 40 investigadores y gerentes de
recursos hídricos de Argentina, Brasil, Canadá, Chile,
Estados Unidos y México que compartieron sus
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resultados sobre la vulnerabilidad de los recursos
hídricos ante el cambio global, e identificaron
desafíos y estrategias exitosas para el manejo del
agua en regiones secas de las Américas. Una de las
consecuencias de la reunión es la creación de un
Centro del IAI sobre Riesgo Climático y Seguridad
Hídrica (AQUASEC), que será dirigido por la UA, en
estrecha cooperación con la Pontificia Universidad
Católica de Chile. AQUASEC colectará y generará
conocimientos sobre recursos hídricos, clima, energía,
ambiente y adaptación. Brindará también apoyo
institucional a las crecientes redes de investigadores,
tomadores de decisiones y otros actores sociales
dedicados a los riesgos climáticos y la seguridad hídrica
en las Américas. El sitio web está en desarrollo: www.
aquasec.org.
Los participantes del taller de Los Cabos identificaron
retos clave para la seguridad hídrica: la escasez de
agua y su provisión incierta o variable, la gobernanza,
los conflictos por el agua entre distintos sectores
(por ejemplo, urbano/rural o minería/agricultura),
el vínculo agua-energía (la energía necesaria para el
bombeo de agua para riego y el agua necesaria para
la generación de energía hidroeléctrica), la falta de
información climática de largo plazo, la insuficiente
monitorización meteorológica en las Américas,
así como las dificultades en comunicar los riesgos
climáticos y las incertidumbres de los pronósticos a los
actores sociales. El grupo se comprometió a producir
conocimientos científicos interdisciplinarios y de
relevancia política, a involucrar a gerentes de recursos
hídricos y tomadores de decisiones de diferentes
sectores y a facilitar la participación del público.
El 15 de junio de 2011, la Decimoctava Conferencia
de las Partes del IAI reconoció la creación de Centros
de Excelencia, como AQUASEC. Los delegados de los
países miembros del IAI manifestaron su apoyo a la
creación del centro, que es un importante resultado
de los esfuerzos de los programas CRN y SGP-HD,
y reconocieron los esfuerzos de la Universidad de
Arizona y la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Global change: regional solutions, sciences and
collaborations
In March 2011, the Argentinean Ministry of Science, Technology and Productive Innovation (Mincyt), jointly with
the IAI, organized a meeting with representatives from the embassies of IAI member countries and of those
European countries with which Argentina has research agreements.
The event showed how global change research programs sponsored by the IAI benefit Argentina, the region and
its researchers. One of the highlighted aspects was the impact of research beyond the academic environment.
Since IAI funded science is interdisciplinary and its results must be accessible to diverse audiences, initially
scientists see these communication efforts as a burden and imposition. However, as they experience the effects
and importance of their work beyond scientific disciplines and learned journals, they get enthusiastic. The meeting
provided examples of how science can respond appropriately to societal needs for knowledge on the changes
that are taking place in the world. Researchers from three collaborative research networks based in Argentina
presented their results and applications in commercial activities, such as agriculture and fisheries, or in the
planning of water use for hydropower generation and human consumption.
The IAI promotes the global change research that no country can undertake on its own, but its results benefit
each of the countries participating in the projects and the region as a whole. Moreover, the innovative approach
and the interactions with different stakeholders make it possible for projects to identify the opportunities that
arise from global change as well as the possibilities for adaptation and mitigation while supporting regional development.
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