This chapter overviews the planetary water system’s role in human systems, and the impact of the climate emergency. It then develops scenarios for 2050 across the “cone of possibility” of how the intertwined human and water systems may develop.
Arup (2015). The Future of Urban Water: Scenarios for Urban Water Utilities in 2040. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://www.arup.com/-/media/arup/files/publications/t/future_of_urban_water_sydney_digital_july15.pdf.
Carbon Brief (2024). Explainer: How “Shared Socioeconomic Pathways” Explore Future Climate Change. Retrieved 2 January 2024 from https://www.carbonbrief.org/explainer-how-shared-socio
economic-pathways-explore-future-climate-change/.
Cosgrove, W., Fischer, G., Floerke, M., Hizsnyik, E., Magnuszewski, P., Pahl-Wostl, C., Scherzer, A., Segrave, A., et al. (2015). Towards Innovative Solutions through Integrative Futures Analysis – Preliminary Qualitative Scenarios. IIASA Interim Report. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: IR-15-012. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/11677/1/IR-15-012.pdf.
Foresight University (2014). Dator’s Four Futures. Retrieved 2 January 2024 from https://foresightguide.com/dator-four-futures/.
Garnett, K., Henriques, C., Delgado, J., Lickorish, F., Forrow, D., Rathé, A., Shaw, H., Prpich, G., Weeks, J., Pollard, S. (2017). Delivering Sustainable River Basin Management: Plausible Future Scenarios for the Water Environment to 2030 and 2050 (September 2017). Report A: Overview. Centre for Environmental Risks and Futures (CERF). Retrieved 2 January 2024 from https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5ae98c0aed915d42f42b60d2/Future_water_scenarios_report_A_-_overview.pdf.
GCEW (March 2023 a). The What, Why and How of the World Water Crisis: Global Commission on the Economics of Water Phase 1 Review and Findings, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, Paris. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://watercommission.org/publication/phase-1-review-and-findings/.
GCEW (March 2023 b). Turning the Tide: A Call to Collective Action, Global Commission on the Economics of Water, Paris. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://turningthetide.watercommission.org/.
OpenAI. (2023). ChatGPT 3.5 (Sep 10 version) [Large language model]. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://chat.openai.com.
Satoh et al. (2017). Multi-Model and Multi-Scenario Assessments of Asian Water Futures: The Water Futures and Solutions (WFaS) Initiative. Earth’s Future, 5, 823–52. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://doi.org/10.1002/2016EF000503.
Smedley, T. (2024). I Wrote a Book about Water: Here’s What I Learned. Medium. Retrieved 2 January 2024 from https://medium.com/the-new-climate/i-wrote-a-book-about-water-heres-what-i-learned-cddf7e2e7dd0.
UNICEF (2023). Triple Threat How Disease, Climate Risks, and Unsafe Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Create a Deadly Combination for Children. New York: United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF). Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://www.unicef.org/media/137206/file/triple-threat-wash-EN.pdf.
UN Water (2023). Blueprint for Acceleration: Sustainable Development Goal 6 Synthesis Report on Water and Sanitation, Version August 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://www.unwater.org/sites/default/files/2023-08/UN-Water_SDG6_SynthesisReport_2023.pdf.
UN Water Conference (2023). Summary of Proceedings by the President of the General
Assembly. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/FINAL
%20EDITED%20-%20PGA77%20Summary%
20for%20Water%20Conference%202023.pdf.
United Nations (2024). The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Retrieved 2 January 2024 from https://sdgs.un.org/goals.
Vision statement UN (2023). Water Conference: “Our Watershed Moment: Uniting the World for Water”. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://sdgs.un.org/sites/default/files/2021-11/Vision_Statement_UN2023_Water_Conference.pdf.
Vörösmarty, C.J., Lettenmaier, Dennis, Lévêque, Christian, Meybeck, Michel, Pahl-Wostl, Claudia, Alcamo, Joseph, Cosgrove, William, Grassl, H., Hoff, Holger, Kabat, Pavel, Lansigan, F., & Lawford, Richard (2004). Human Transforming the Global Water System. Eos, Transactions American Geophysical Union, 85, 10.1029/2004EO480001. Retrieved 10 September 2023 from https://doi.org/10.1029/2004EO480001.
Institutional Login
Log in with Open Athens, Shibboleth, or your institutional credentials
Personal login
Log in with your Elgar Online account