IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/natres/v32y2008i3p228-238.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Re‐thinking water scarcity: Can science and technology solve the global water crisis?

Author

Listed:
  • Elena Lopez‐Gunn
  • Manuel Ramón Llamas

Abstract

This paper provides examples from the last fifty years of scientific and technological innovations that provide relatively easy, quick and affordable means of addressing key water management issues. Scientific knowledge and technological innovation can help open up previously closed decision‐making systems. Four of these tools are discussed in this paper: a) the opportunities afforded by virtual water trade; b) the silent revolution for beneficial use of groundwater; c) salt water desalination; and finally, d) the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). Together these advances are changing the options available to address water and food security that have been predominant for centuries in the minds of most water decision‐makers.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Lopez‐Gunn & Manuel Ramón Llamas, 2008. "Re‐thinking water scarcity: Can science and technology solve the global water crisis?," Natural Resources Forum, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 32(3), pages 228-238, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:32:y:2008:i:3:p:228-238
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1477-8947.2008.00200.x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1477-8947.2008.00200.x
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1111/j.1477-8947.2008.00200.x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Phoebe Koundouri, 2004. "Current Issues in the Economics of Groundwater Resource Management," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 18(5), pages 703-740, December.
    2. Allan, J. A. T., 2007. "Rural economic transitions: groundwater use in the Middle East and its environmental consequences," IWMI Books, Reports H040042, International Water Management Institute.
    3. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Cai, X & Amarasinghe, Upali & Rosegrant, M. & Molden, David, 2004. "Does international cereal trade save water?: the impact of virtual water trade on global water use," IWMI Research Reports H035342, International Water Management Institute.
    4. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Cai, Ximing & Amarasinghe, Upali A. & Rosegrant, Mark W. & Molden, David J., 2004. "Does international cereal trade save water? The impact of virtual water trade on global water use," IWMI Research Reports 92832, International Water Management Institute.
    5. Giordano, Mark & Villholth, Karen, 2007. "The agricultural groundwater revolution: opportunities and threats to development," IWMI Books, Reports H040039, International Water Management Institute.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. World Bank, 2006. "Reengaging in Agricultural Water Management: Challenges and Options," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6957, December.
    2. Calzadilla, Alvaro & Rehdanz, Katrin & Tol, Richard S.J., 2008. "Water scarcity and the impact of improved irrigation management: A CGE analysis," Conference papers 331788, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    3. Maria Berrittella & Katrin Rehdanz & Richard S.J. Tol, 2006. "The Economic Impact of the South-North Water Transfer Project in China: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Working Papers 2006.154, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei.
    4. María Jesús Beltrán & Esther Velázquez, 2011. "Del metabolismo social al metabolismo hídrico," Documentos de Trabajo de la Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España 01_2011, Asociación de Economía Ecológica en España.
    5. Figureau, A.-G. & Montginoul, M. & Rinaudo, J.-D., 2015. "Policy instruments for decentralized management of agricultural groundwater abstraction: A participatory evaluation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 119(C), pages 147-157.
    6. Fracasso, Andrea & Sartori, Martina & Schiavo, Stefano, 2014. "Determinants of virtual water flows in the Mediterranean," MPRA Paper 60500, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Gawel, Erik & Bernsen, Kristina, 2011. "What is wrong with virtual water trading?," UFZ Discussion Papers 1/2011, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    8. Marta Antonelli & Martina Sartori, 2014. "Unfolding the Potential of the Virtual Water Concept. What is still under debate?," IEFE Working Papers 74, IEFE, Center for Research on Energy and Environmental Economics and Policy, Universita' Bocconi, Milano, Italy.
    9. Berrittella, Maria & Rehdanz, Katrin & Roson, Roberto & Tol, Richard S.J., 2007. "The Economic Impact of Water Taxes: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis with an International Data Set," Conference papers 331655, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    10. Yang, Hong & Wang, Lei & Zehnder, Alexander J.B., 2007. "Water scarcity and food trade in the Southern and Eastern Mediterranean countries," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 32(5-6), pages 585-605.
    11. Dennis Wichelns, 2010. "Virtual Water: A Helpful Perspective, but not a Sufficient Policy Criterion," Water Resources Management: An International Journal, Published for the European Water Resources Association (EWRA), Springer;European Water Resources Association (EWRA), vol. 24(10), pages 2203-2219, August.
    12. de Fraiture, Charlotte & Wichelns, D. & Rockstrom, J. & Kemp-Benedict, E. & Eriyagama, Nishadi & Gordon, L. J. & Hanjra, M. A. & Hoogeveen, J. & Huber-Lee, A. & Karlberg, L., 2007. "Looking ahead to 2050: scenarios of alternative investment approaches," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    13. Molden, David & Oweis, T. Y. & Pasquale, S. & Kijne, Jacob W. & Hanjra, M. A. & Bindraban, P. S. & Bouman, Bas A. M. & Cook, S. & Erenstein, O. & Farahani, H. & Hachum, A. & Hoogeveen, J. & Mahoo, Hen, 2007. "Pathways for increasing agricultural water productivity," Book Chapters,, International Water Management Institute.
    14. Hoekstra, A.Y., 2009. "Human appropriation of natural capital: A comparison of ecological footprint and water footprint analysis," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 68(7), pages 1963-1974, May.
    15. repec:spo:wpecon:info:hdl:2441/5l6uh8ogmqildh09h2qa1ccc1 is not listed on IDEAS
    16. Fracasso, Andrea, 2014. "A gravity model of virtual water trade," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 215-228.
    17. Ohrel, Sara Bushey & Choi, Suk-Won & Sohngen, Brent, 2011. "Extending the GTAP Family of Models: A Partial Equilibrium Approach to Measuring the Costs of Carbon Sequestration and Avoided Deforestation," Conference papers 332046, Purdue University, Center for Global Trade Analysis, Global Trade Analysis Project.
    18. Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) & International Water Management Institute (IWMI)., 2004. "Water – more nutrition per drop: towards sustainable food production and consumption patterns in a rapidly changing world," IWMI Research Reports H034344, International Water Management Institute.
    19. Hoekstra, Arjen, 2010. "The relation between international trade and freshwater scarcity," WTO Staff Working Papers ERSD-2010-05, World Trade Organization (WTO), Economic Research and Statistics Division.
    20. John Hoehn & Kwami Adanu, 2008. "Do growth, investment, and trade encourage water use or water conservation?," Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, Springer, vol. 1(2), pages 127-146, December.
    21. Maria Berrittella & Katrin Rehdanz & Arjen Y. Hoekstra & Roberto Roson & Richard S.J. Tol, 2006. "The Economic Impact Of Restricted Water Supply: A Computable General Equilibrium Analysis," Working Papers FNU-93, Research unit Sustainability and Global Change, Hamburg University, revised Jul 2006.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:natres:v:32:y:2008:i:3:p:228-238. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://doi.org/10.1111/(ISSN)1477-8947 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.