Climate change as a risk multiplier
Throughout my research for this blog, I have learnt a lot... There is one main premise that keeps materialising: climate change will not cause water insecurity, but instead will amplify it in countries with current water scarcity issues. After discovering this through my earlier research, I have found it to be even more apparent since I began to focus on Ethiopia.
In order to achieve development, specifically lower middle-class income status, Ethiopia needs to increase its water availability as lack of access is regarded to be a major limiting factor of economic growth (Arsiso et al., 2017). Ethiopia arguably does have an abundance of water, but its water resources vary in time and space, with the country subject to inter- and intra-annual variations in rainfall. This complicates the ability to store and manage water resources in order for them to be accessible during drier times.
At the same time, demographic change, specifically urbanisation, is increasing demand for water and thus, intensifying competition in cities. Issues emerge over improving access to these variable water resources, specifically guaranteeing sufficient quality and quantity of water resources. This is especially important amongst the poor. Ethiopia significantly generally lacks the water resource infrastructure and management to effectively do this (Mosello et al., 2015) and so 75 percent of the population do not have access to improved water resources (Calow and McDonald, 2009). There is now an eminent need to address this.
Climate change behaves as a risk multiplier (demonstrated well in Figure 1): it is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts and flooding within Ethiopia. Without adequate water management and infrastructure, coupled with continued demographic pressures, climate change will amplify the lack of access to sufficient quality and quantity of freshwater. Ethiopia must strengthen its water resource management and infrastructure in order to become resilient to these amplifications.
How can Ethiopia do this? This is what I want to answer next!
In order to achieve development, specifically lower middle-class income status, Ethiopia needs to increase its water availability as lack of access is regarded to be a major limiting factor of economic growth (Arsiso et al., 2017). Ethiopia arguably does have an abundance of water, but its water resources vary in time and space, with the country subject to inter- and intra-annual variations in rainfall. This complicates the ability to store and manage water resources in order for them to be accessible during drier times.
At the same time, demographic change, specifically urbanisation, is increasing demand for water and thus, intensifying competition in cities. Issues emerge over improving access to these variable water resources, specifically guaranteeing sufficient quality and quantity of water resources. This is especially important amongst the poor. Ethiopia significantly generally lacks the water resource infrastructure and management to effectively do this (Mosello et al., 2015) and so 75 percent of the population do not have access to improved water resources (Calow and McDonald, 2009). There is now an eminent need to address this.
Climate change behaves as a risk multiplier (demonstrated well in Figure 1): it is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of droughts and flooding within Ethiopia. Without adequate water management and infrastructure, coupled with continued demographic pressures, climate change will amplify the lack of access to sufficient quality and quantity of freshwater. Ethiopia must strengthen its water resource management and infrastructure in order to become resilient to these amplifications.
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| Figure 1: Physical and socio-economic drivers of water scarcity and the impacts of these (Mosello et al. 2015) |
How can Ethiopia do this? This is what I want to answer next!
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