Outdoor Water Use as an Adaptation Problem: Insights from North American Cities

摘要: Recent efforts to influence the efficiency and timing of urban indoor water use through education, technology, conservation, reuse, economic incentives, regulatory mechanisms have enabled many North American cities accommodate population growth buffer impacts drought. It is unlikely that this approach will be equally successful into future because source conservation shift from outdoor use. Outdoor climate sensitive, difficult measure, hard predict, linked other components complex dynamic resource systems, imbued with behavioral cultural dimensions, implicated in societal conflicts about risk, modern lifestyles, social justice, growth. not a traditional management problem focused on sector, assuming stationary climate, set aside public debate. Instead, an adaptation problem, involving uncertain system dynamics, need for cross-sector coordination, strategies dealing climatic uncertainty, engaging stakeholders differing goals. This paper makes case treating as offers six-point strategy how can better prepare their systems uncertainties change.