Water System

The study of earth system governance in relation to the global water system will be developed in close though not exclusive collaboration with the Global Water System Project (GWSP), a joint project of the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP). The Global Water System Project aims to understand how humans are changing the global water cycle, the associated biogeochemical cycles, and the biological components of the global water system, and what the social feedbacks are that arise from these changes. The Project has three sub-questions, namely about the magnitudes of anthropogenic and environmental changes in the global water system and the key mechanisms by which they are induced; about the main linkages and feedbacks in the earth system that arise from changes in the global water system; and how resilient and adaptable the global water system is to change and what sustainable water management strategies are. This third question focuses on the institutional and governance dimension. Within the institutional framework the GWSP takes a global perspective, justified by four arguments: first, the hydrological system is a global system; second, human behaviour and global environmental change is driven by forces that are often beyond the jurisdiction of local, national or regional agencies; third, many local phenomena may occur globally and have cumulative impacts at the global level; and fourth, the impacts of reduced quantities and qualities of water are likely to be global. An implication of the GWSP approach is the need to take a global perspective when developing policies at local or national levels.