WaterWired

Time to Put Democracy on Hold? G. Tracy Mehan III Book Review: 'Can Democracy Handle Climate Change?'

Can democracy handle climate change? Not only is that the $64 question, but it is also the title of a new book by Daniel J. Fiorino.

So who should review this book? Only the best - G. Tracy Mehan III, a frequent contributor to WaterWired, executive director for government affairs at the American Water Works Association and adjunct professor at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University. He writes great book reviews (and other things) so when he sends me something I post it. He sent me this review, which will be publsihed in the September/October 2019 issue of the The Environmental Forum

Download_Democracy_and_Climate_Change_Review

Here are the first few paragraps:

With the election of President Trump in 2016, and recent setbacks for political parties supporting aggressive action on climate change in Australia and Canada, there is dissension among some environmentalists and academics about the efficacy of democracies in achieving the goal of mitigating emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting changes to our planet.

“Even the best democracies agree that when a major war approaches, democracy must be put on hold for the time being,” says Gaia theorist James Lovelock. “I have a feeling that climate change may bean issue as severe as a war. It may be necessary to put democracy on hold for a while.”

That old curmudgeon Garrett Hardin (of “The Tragedy of the Commons” fame), believed the world had to relinquish “the freedom to breed, and that very soon.” That was back in 1968. And David Shearman andJoseph Wayne Smith, in The Climate Challenge and the Failure of Democracy (Praeger 2007) stated their firm belief that “authoritarianism is the natural state of humanity, and it may be better to choose our elites rather than have them imposed.” Battling climate change is warfare, and “humanity will have to trade its liberty to live as it wishes in favor of a system where survival is paramount.”

You also might also enjoy Tracy's review of  Beyond Politics: The Private Governance Response to Climate Change. Click here for his review of 1 March 2018.

Enjoy!

“No nation could preserve its freedom in the midst of continual warfare.” - James Madison (thanks to G. Tracy Mehan III)

Lisa Beutler Interview: Wade Crowfoot, California Secretary for Natural Resources

My friend and colleague, Lisa Beutler of Executive Facilitator at Stantecand President of the AWRA, interviewed Wade Crowfoot, the new Secretary for Natural Resources for the State of California. The interview is in the current issue (#183) of The Water Report by David Light and David Moon. David Light granted me permission to distribute the PDF. You can also read an online version on Maven's Notebook. 

Download BeutlerTWR#183

Here is the introductory section.

On April 24th, we had the much-appreciated opportunity to interview Wade Crowfoot, the Secretary for Natural Resources for the State of California. California Governor Gavin Newsom appointed Secretary Crowfoot to this position on January 11, 2019.

When asked about his priorities, California’s recently appointed Natural Resources Secretary quickly rattles off a range of topics: climate change; strengthening water supply resilience; and building water capacity for communities, agriculture, and the environment, among them.

We caught up with Crowfoot just days before issuance of the Governor’s Executive Order on water (see next page) and he enthusiastically explained that the Governor’s priorities were his priorities. He noted that even while California faces a plethora of pressing issues, Governor Gavin Newsom has madewater management a high priority. As evidence he offered that Newsom made time on multiple occasions to convene the Secretaries of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection, and the Department of Food and Agricultural to meet with him personally and explore and define a course of action. Crowfoot found the Governor’s knowledge and commitment to water resiliency during these sessions impressive.

Talking about water is part of Wade Crowfoot’s DNA. A native son of the Great Lakes region he proudly recounts that his most formative years were spent exploring its vast reaches that encompass 20 percent of the world’s surface fresh water. These early years along with his extensive work experiences in planning and natural resources positions (and many subsequent hiking adventures) provide him with a solid integrated resource management framework. This makes serving as California’s Natural Resources Secretary an easy fit.

Crowfoot sees integration as the organizing principle for his approach to water management. He describes this as a “One California” portfolio approach that incorporates: conservation; continued improvements in water use efficiency; stormwater capture; recycling; and smart conjunctive water use. It  also includes smart investment in green and built infrastructure and the full and fair implementation of California’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).

In addition to leveraging a full toolkit of water management options, a portfolio approach embraces multiple time scales and plans for short, mid, and long-term actions and returns. He defined the longer term timeframe as generational investments that look out 80 years and beyond. As an example he noted that planning documents like the previous Governor’s Water Action Plan are directed more to immediate needs while other required planning processes — like the current California Water Plan — are focused on mid and long-term actions.

When asked how the state’s Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) Plans fit into this planning framework, Crowfoot saw an IRWM 2.0 in the future. He noted this was contingent on securing additional funding. Given 85% of water investment happens locally, Crowfoot felt the state could play a role in enhancing what is already happening.

Skipping three pages...

Conclusion

The importance of fair and equitable water security for all Californians was threaded throughout Crowfoot’s entire discussion. He noted the state’s policy on the human right to water and touched on the need to consider this in every water management decision. This means: addressing existing adverse impacts; preventing unnecessary impacts; and minimizing economic disruption. He also felt that accomplishing these goals would require ensuring some form of representation of impacted communities.

Crowfoot was sober in understanding that the Resources Agency and state government alone could not address every water management need. In considering topics like water security and public health for the homeless population, he pointed to the need for integrated approaches led by social service agencies and a continuum of responses. Even so, he felt the state did have a role in defining standards, providing technical assistance, and incentivizing actions.

In closing Crowfoot offered his optimism and excitement in working to address the state’s water management challenges. He was fully aware of the magnitude and breadth of work undertaken by the California Department of Natural Resources and expressed appreciation of the hour we had to focus just on state water management.

Enjoy!

Today's quote just has to be:

"Water is the Rubik's Cube of public policy." - John Laird, former Secretary of the California Resources Agency (apologies to John Fleck)

John H. Matthews' Thursday Twofer Treat: 1) Award-Winning CRIDA Article: 2) University of Idaho FREE CRIDA Workshop

1) Award-Winning CRIDA Article

I last wrote about John H. Matthews' article on 5 December 2018:

John H. Matthews, a good friend and one of the smartest water-climate guys in the room, is the lead and co- founder of the dynamic organization Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA). In just a few short years John and AGWA have catapulted themselves to the climate and water A-list. His success is well-deserved. 

One of the many nice things about John is that all his fame has not gone to his head and he still talks to me. He'll even write a brief article for a special issue of Water Resources IMPACTI edited, Climate Change: Resilient Infrastructure or Infrastructure for Resilience?. He begins the article as few people can - by recounting an invitation he received to an informal dinner in Europe with investors and their ilk. What happened there? Read on, gentle reader....

Download Matthews

Don't forget to check out Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIDA).

So why am I repeating the above here? Perhaps trying to curry favor with Dr. Matthews? Or fearful that he might drop me from his cellphone contact list?

None of those is true. John's article, Climate Change: Resilient Infrastructure or Infrastructure for Resilience?, has recently been awarded the Water Resources IMPACT best article for 2018. It's the first time we have made such an award. I love the way John starts his article:

Recently I was invited to an informal dinner in Europe withnvestors and groups that interact with investors. I’m a freshwater scientist, working on climate change and water management issues for about 15 years. I had been seated across from a smartly dressed woman from southern Africa, affiliated with a group funded by British foreign aid to support resilient infrastructure in the region.

I was intrigued. Infrastructure is especially exposed to climate change risks. By its nature, infrastructure lasts a long time, but we typically evaluate success/failure and “sustainability” over much shorter periods. Worse, our ability to predict future impacts in a shifting climate with confidence and certainty is limited—especially for investments that interact with the water cycle, that require a quantitative evaluation framework such as engineering or economics, or that have low tolerance for failure. Climate models provide limited and often weak confidence and conflicting projections about conditions 10 years from now, much less 50 or 100. Worldwide, we see many pieces of twentieth-century infrastructure in cities, along rivers and on shorelines that no longer match their climate conditions. Some, like the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams in the United States, require billions in retrofitting or demand adjustments in order to maintain their fit with current and emerging patterns.

  Read it all:

Download MatthewsArticleOfYearNov2018IMPACT

Here is a presentation John gave here at OSU in January 2019:

Download 2019_i_18_osu_matthews_climate

 2) Climate Risk Informed Decision Analysis (CRIIDA) Workshop - University of Idaho, 22-23 April 2019

Mary Engels, a PhD student at the University, just sent me information about a workshop John is consucting at UI. There are some spots still available. Please register by 17 April. Click here. The workshop fee and a light breakfast and lunch are provided free of charge; attendees must cover dinner, travel, and lodging. Want more information? Contact Mary Engels: enge5729@vandals.uidaho.edu

Enjoy!

"We build things that last 300 years. Why don't we think about sustainability for that long?" - Senior manager, The World Bank, February 2017 (thanks to John H. Matthews)

Gerald Sehlke AWRA IWRM Conference Presentation: 'A Conceptual Model for Developing and Implementing IWRM'

IWRM guru Dr. Gerald (Jerry) Sehlke presented this innovative approach to Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). You can read Jerry's abstract here (bottom right of page 1 and top left of page 2). I have also pasted it below.

Abstract

The most broadly accepted definition of IWRM is:

“A process, which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximize the resultant economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems.”

In order to develop such processes, we must design, develop and implement holistic approaches that integrate and harmonize water resources governance (policy and laws), socioeconomic policies and goals, and the physical and environmental aspects of water resources management.  IWRM programs need to develop the governance, institutional, scientific, and operational capacities necessary for implementing these activities. In addition, IWRM programs need to inventory, develop, and manage all hydrologically interconnected water resources as a unitary source from a hydrologic cycle perspective, at the appropriate basin, sub-basin or “catchment” (watershed) scale. This includes developing water policies and laws that are scientifically-based such that they comport with the physical laws that govern the movement and storage of water.  It also includes developing physically-base conceptual models for identifying, delineating, and linking hydrologically interconnected water resources in a consistent and scalable manner.  

This discussion provides a conceptual model that demonstrates the links between such policies and laws, and physically-base conceptual models of a “competent hydrologic unit.”

Download Conceptual Model Presentation_Sehlke_032419

Enjoy!

"I am so excited about this year’s course evaluations! Students will evaluate how biased their professors are in presenting their course materials!" - @ass_deans

Tony Willardson AWRA IWRM Conference Presentation: 'Governing with Imagination: Managing the Unmanageable'

At the recent AWRA IWRM conference in Omaha Tony Willardson, the scholarly and gentlemanly Executive Director of the Western States Water Council, gave an excelent keynote presentation.

Here is a PDF of his PPT:

Download 2019 AWRA Willardson Omaha 0325

From the presentation:

                 Our Present Condition

Water in the West is an increasingly scarce and precious resource.  Western States have and will continue to face unique hydrologic, legal and infrastructure challenges.  Population growth, competing economic and ecological demands, and changing social values have left surface and ground water supplies stressed in many areas.  This has increased the number and complexity of conflicts among users and uses. 

A secure water future is becoming more costly and increasingly uncertain given our unpredictable climate, aging and often inadequate infrastructure, data limitations regarding water supplies and demands, competing or poorly defined water rights, and a constantly evolving regulatory landscape.  Effectively addressing these challenges will require stronger collaboration and cooperation that transcends political and geographic boundaries between states, federal agencies, tribes, and local communities.

Enjoy!

“I teach them correct principles, and they govern themselves.” - Joseph Smith, Prophet, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (thanks to Tony Willardson)