ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY
and innovation to manage the ‘less for more’ challenge of
reduced supply and increased demand.
Advances in technology can play an important role in this new
era of collaboration. Real-time data is already being used to
generate insights about the interplay of risk factors, allowing the
development of sophisticated early-warning tools. The Water,
Peace and Security Partnership, for instance, crunches vast
amounts of data, using machine-learning and other technologies
to identify patterns that indicate the high risk of a conflict situation
developing. It does not simply flash a warning light, but points to
the factors that need to be addressed through capacity-building
and stakeholder engagement to mitigate any potential conflict.
The tool, presented to the UN’s Security Council in 2018, aims
to build cohesion for collective action among diplomats, defence
analysts, development and humanitarian experts, and environmental
scientists. Another partnership, Digital Earth Africa, is developing an
open-access platform of analysis-ready geospatial data for public use
that will enable African nations to track environmental changes across
the continent in unprecedented detail, including flooding, droughts,
soil and coastal erosion, agriculture, forest and land-use change,
water availability and quality, and changes to human settlements.
Such insights can help governments, businesses, and
communities better understand and address the interconnected
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web of environmental risks, in particular the impacts of climate
change. From variations in rainfall patterns to extended periods
of extreme weather events, building resilience across agricultural,
industrial, and domestic water supplies is a key priority for
increasing water security.
The complex challenges and impacts of water crises will certainly
make it difficult to shift from the top of future global risk lists. But
real progress can be made, especially through cross-sectoral
partnerships and platforms that can engage with such complexity.
The 2030 Water Resources Group, which works across a network
of more than 600 partners to tackle the water supply-demand
gap in 14 different geographies, is a promising blueprint for
effective public-private co-operation.
Access to better data can bolster such collaborations and lead
to more effective solutions, for instance through mapping water
risk, and generating greater understanding of how physical water
shortages affect societal tensions, political disruptions, and cross-
border migration. These are just a few examples of how the world
is already developing the types of ‘next generation’ insights, tools,
and partnerships needed to tackle water insecurity.
But what the Global Risk Report makes clear is that any solution
needs to be underpinned by an increased awareness of the scale and
interconnectedness of the water security challenge before us. PA
May 2019 Volume 25 I Number 3