Publication: Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources Management : Adaptation Challenges and Opportunities in Northeast Brazil
Loading...
Date
2013-07
ISSN
Published
2013-07
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Abstract
The Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) region has a unique mix of qualities and challenges when it comes to the environment. It is exceptionally endowed with natural assets, with globally significant biodiversity and valuable crops, and also harbors the world's greatest carbon sink in the Amazon. Over the past twenty years, the LAC region has made impressive gains in tackling these issues. It leads the developing world in biodiversity conservation and natural resource management and is at the forefront in reducing urban pollution. The environment and water resources occasional paper series is a publication of the Environment and Water Resources Unit (LCSEN) of the sustainable development department in the World Bank's Latin America and the Caribbean Region. The purpose of the series is to contribute to the global knowledge exchange on innovation in environmental and water resources management and the pursuit of greener and more inclusive growth. The papers seek to bring to a broader public-decision makers, development practitioners, academics and other partners-lessons learned from World Bank financed projects, technical assistance and other knowledge activities jointly undertaken with partners. This project proved to be a critical first step in better understanding how climate change will translate to water scarcity, and how the drought-prone and rapidly developing Northeast Region of Brazil could adapt through more flexible water management and allocation strategies.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank. 2013. Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources Management : Adaptation Challenges and Opportunities in Northeast Brazil. Latin America and Caribbean Region
Environment and Water Resources occasional paper series;. © World Bank. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/16593 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”
Associated URLs
Associated content
Other publications in this report series
Journal
Journal Volume
Journal Issue
Collections
Related items
Showing items related by metadata.
Publication Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and Adaptation in the Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Sector in Nicaragua(2013-01)Climate change is at the top of the development agenda in Central America. This region, together with the Caribbean, is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change in Latin America. Climate change is manifesting itself through higher average temperatures and more frequent droughts that result in higher water stress, and through the rising frequency of extreme weather events such as tropical storms, hurricanes, floods and landslides, all of which pose significant challenges in the rural water supply and sanitation sector. The paper starts with a review of the historic data on temperature and precipitation trends in Central America and particularly at the regional level in Nicaragua. The data reveal a clear trend of the growing climate variability, increased water stress for crops, and greater frequency of extreme weather events. The rising intensity and frequency of ex-treme weather events is among the most critical risks to the region's development agenda, and they translate into high economic losses. This paper examines the impacts and implications of potential climate change on water resources in Nicaragua and makes key recommendations to integrate climate change and rural water supply and sanitation policies and programs in a way that increase resilience to current and future climate conditions.Publication Review of World Bank Engagement in the Irrigation and Drainage Sector in Azerbaijan(Washington, DC, 2013-02)The sector review includes seven chapters and one annex. This first chapter is an overview of agriculture, irrigation and the purpose and content of this report. The second chapter provides a review of the Bank s own strategy and priorities for irrigation and drainage within its portfolio of investments, from the time of its 2004 Strategy until the present. It also includes a short summary of key lessons learned in this sector. The third chapter provides a brief situation analysis for irrigation and drainage in Azerbaijan, including a description of key parameters and changes; a description of rising challenges, needs and opportunities; and an overview of the Government s State Program (SP) for Sustainable Development of Amelioration and water management for 2008-2015. The fourth chapter describes the issues of investment and financing of irrigation and drainage priorities for infrastructure development, rehabilitation and modernization, and management. This includes investment priorities for the Government as well as needs for cost recovery by water users for the cost of irrigation and drainage system operations and maintenance. The fifth chapter describes the institutional framework and how it has emerged since independence. It also identifies outstanding issues for further institutional development, both for the Government and for water users associations (WUA). The sixth chapter describes the implications of climate change for the vulnerable irrigation and drainage sector in Azerbaijan. Suggestions are provided for a process to prepare an adaptation strategy for climate change. The seventh chapter identifies ten key priorities for investments in the irrigation and drainage sector in Azerbaijan. These priorities are based on the views of staff of the World Bank, staff of the AIOJSC (Amelioration and Irrigation Open Joint Stock Company), selected consultants and the author.Publication Towards a Strategic Analysis of Water Resources Investments in Kenya : Hydrological, Economic, and Institutional Assessment for Storage Development(Washington, DC, 2011-06-30)The objective of this study was to advance the process of prioritizing water storage investments that could reduce water stress in economically important areas. The specific objectives of the study were to (i) outline a comprehensive framework for screening of potential storage sites; (ii) identify important water stressed areas through an updated water balance; (iii) assess alternative multipurpose water storage projects through physical, hydrological and economic criteria; and (iv) analyze institutional and financing aspects of water resources development in Kenya to identify capacity and knowledge inadequacies. The study focused on identifying viable surface water storage projects to increase water supply reliability and mitigate the effects of common multi-year droughts. No new estimates of groundwater resources were made, though they were considered in quantifying overall water availability. The scope of the study was limited to an initial screening of infrastructure options that will increase the reliability of water supply. The state of water service delivery was not assessed as it was outside the scope of this study.Publication Afghanistan - Scoping Strategic Options for Development of the Kabul River Basin : A Multisectoral Decision Support System Approach(Washington, DC, 2010-01)The objective of this study is to develop an integrated basin planning framework for analyzing and prioritizing water resources development options in Afghanistan, and to demonstrate its application in the Kabul River basin. Accordingly, the study focuses on the tasks of: (a) analyzing the medium and long-term options for developing the water resources of the Kabul River basin for multiple purposes, including domestic and industrial water supply, hydropower, mining, irrigated agriculture, and environment; and (b) collating information on the basin, including the existing and potential water resources development options, water uses and demands, in a simple and user-friendly Decision Support System (DSS), so as to enable multisectoral analysis and optimization of development options in the basin by the concerned ministries and development partners. The study, conducted in collaboration with the government of Afghanistan, is expected to help strengthen the adoption of integrated approaches to basin planning and water resources management in the country.Publication Thailand Environment Monitor : Integrated Water Resources Management - A Way Forward(World Bank, 2011-06-01)Water is everyone's business. Beside a necessity for living, water has implications on public health and, most importantly, can cause social conflicts. This is because water is limited, is difficult to control, and can easily be polluted. The Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) process is considered worldwide as a means to reduce social conflicts from competing water needs as well as to facilitate effective and sustainable development of water resources. Effective implementation of IWRM however will require appropriate policy, regulation, and institutional frameworks which could facilitate cross-sectoral dialogue and cooperation among water users. A good example of IWRM is in the Lower Mekong River Basin. IWRM has been adopted by the Mekong River Commission (MRC) as a means to management water resources through the 1995 agreement, where as MRC countries are fully committed to manage water resources. In Thailand, IWRM has been technically recognized as a means to achieve sustainable water resources management and the concept has been incorporated in the national policy for more than 15 years, however clear institutional responsibility and introduction of the IWRM concept to local communities are relatively new. To address the challenges on water resource management in Thailand, particularly at the local level, stronger leadership and commitment of the key government agencies and effective cooperation of the water users will be important.
Users also downloaded
Showing related downloaded files
Publication World Development Report 2014(Washington, DC, 2013-10-06)The past 25 years have witnessed unprecedented changes around the world—many of them for the better. Across the continents, many countries have embarked on a path of international integration, economic reform, technological modernization, and democratic participation. As a result, economies that had been stagnant for decades are growing, people whose families had suffered deprivation for generations are escaping poverty, and hundreds of millions are enjoying the benefits of improved living standards and scientific and cultural sharing across nations. As the world changes, a host of opportunities arise constantly. With them, however, appear old and new risks, from the possibility of job loss and disease to the potential for social unrest and environmental damage. If ignored, these risks can turn into crises that reverse hard-won gains and endanger the social and economic reforms that produced these gains. The World Development Report 2014 (WDR 2014), Risk and Opportunity: Managing Risk for Development, contends that the solution is not to reject change in order to avoid risk but to prepare for the opportunities and risks that change entails. Managing risks responsibly and effectively has the potential to bring about security and a means of progress for people in developing countries and beyond. Although individuals’ own efforts, initiative, and responsibility are essential for managing risk, their success will be limited without a supportive social environment—especially when risks are large or systemic in nature. The WDR 2014 argues that people can successfully confront risks that are beyond their means by sharing their risk management with others. This can be done through naturally occurring social and economic systems that enable people to overcome the obstacles that individuals and groups face, including lack of resources and information, cognitive and behavioral failures, missing markets and public goods, and social externalities and exclusion. These systems—from the household and the community to the state and the international community—have the potential to support people’s risk management in different yet complementary ways. The Report focuses on some of the most pressing questions policy makers are asking. What role should the state take in helping people manage risks? When should this role consist of direct interventions, and when should it consist of providing an enabling environment? How can governments improve their own risk management, and what happens when they fail or lack capacity, as in many fragile and conflict-affected states? Through what mechanisms can risk management be mainstreamed into the development agenda? And how can collective action failures to manage systemic risks be addressed, especially those with irreversible consequences? The WDR 2014 provides policy makers with insights and recommendations to address these difficult questions. It should serve to guide the dialogue, operations, and contributions from key development actors—from civil society and national governments to the donor community and international development organizations.Publication World Development Report 2006(Washington, DC, 2005)This year’s Word Development Report (WDR), the twenty-eighth, looks at the role of equity in the development process. It defines equity in terms of two basic principles. The first is equal opportunities: that a person’s chances in life should be determined by his or her talents and efforts, rather than by pre-determined circumstances such as race, gender, social or family background. The second principle is the avoidance of extreme deprivation in outcomes, particularly in health, education and consumption levels. This principle thus includes the objective of poverty reduction. The report’s main message is that, in the long run, the pursuit of equity and the pursuit of economic prosperity are complementary. In addition to detailed chapters exploring these and related issues, the Report contains selected data from the World Development Indicators 2005‹an appendix of economic and social data for over 200 countries. This Report offers practical insights for policymakers, executives, scholars, and all those with an interest in economic development.Publication Classroom Assessment to Support Foundational Literacy(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2025-03-21)This document focuses primarily on how classroom assessment activities can measure students’ literacy skills as they progress along a learning trajectory towards reading fluently and with comprehension by the end of primary school grades. The document addresses considerations regarding the design and implementation of early grade reading classroom assessment, provides examples of assessment activities from a variety of countries and contexts, and discusses the importance of incorporating classroom assessment practices into teacher training and professional development opportunities for teachers. The structure of the document is as follows. The first section presents definitions and addresses basic questions on classroom assessment. Section 2 covers the intersection between assessment and early grade reading by discussing how learning assessment can measure early grade reading skills following the reading learning trajectory. Section 3 compares some of the most common early grade literacy assessment tools with respect to the early grade reading skills and developmental phases. Section 4 of the document addresses teacher training considerations in developing, scoring, and using early grade reading assessment. Additional issues in assessing reading skills in the classroom and using assessment results to improve teaching and learning are reviewed in section 5. Throughout the document, country cases are presented to demonstrate how assessment activities can be implemented in the classroom in different contexts.Publication Argentina Country Climate and Development Report(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-11)The Argentina Country Climate and Development Report (CCDR) explores opportunities and identifies trade-offs for aligning Argentina’s growth and poverty reduction policies with its commitments on, and its ability to withstand, climate change. It assesses how the country can: reduce its vulnerability to climate shocks through targeted public and private investments and adequation of social protection. The report also shows how Argentina can seize the benefits of a global decarbonization path to sustain a more robust economic growth through further development of Argentina’s potential for renewable energy, energy efficiency actions, the lithium value chain, as well as climate-smart agriculture (and land use) options. Given Argentina’s context, this CCDR focuses on win-win policies and investments, which have large co-benefits or can contribute to raising the country’s growth while helping to adapt the economy, also considering how human capital actions can accompany a just transition.Publication Services Unbound(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-12-09)Services are a new force for innovation, trade, and growth in East Asia and Pacific. The dramatic diffusion of digital technologies and partial policy reforms in services--from finance, communication, and transport to retail, health, and education--is transforming these economies. The result is higher productivity and changing jobs in the services sector, as well as in the manufacturing sectors that use these services. A region that has thrived through openness to trade and investment in manufacturing still maintains innovation-inhibiting barriers to entry and competition in key services sectors. 'Services Unbound: Digital Technologies and Policy Reform in East Asia and Pacific' makes the case for deeper domestic reforms and greater international cooperation to unleash a virtuous cycle of increased economic opportunity and enhanced human capacity that would power development in the region.