A Prediction

4. A Prediction • “New”water will come from better use and efficiency of current sources of water and from conservation

5. Paradigms of Water Management • Supply side management • Treats water as a limitless resource i.e.:secure sufficient water to meet forecasts • Promotes large,centralized water infrastructure • Often assumes demand is insensitive to policy and behavioral change -rarely considers full economic and environmental costs

6. Paradigms of Water Management • Demand side management • Influencing demand is more cost-effective than increasing supply • More comprehensive view of economic and environmental costs • Greater focus on economic and socio-political measures

7. Paradigms of Water Management • Standard approaches to DSM increases efficiency but rarely considers the ecological context • Ultimately, sustainable production depends on sustainable consumption,which entails structural changes and is the fundamental goal of the soft path

8. A Continuum of Water Management Source: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance

9. The Soft Path to Water – Core Principles • Treat water as a service (e.g. sanitation,pleasant landscapes,agriculture) rather than an end in itself • Match quality supplied to quality required by end use (less than 1/3 of current water use requires drinking quality water) Xeriscaping Source: www.oxnardwater.org/.../ community/xeriscape.asp

10. The Soft Path to Water – Core Principles • Make ecological sustainability a fundamental criterion Waitangi River Bank, New Zealand Source: http://pinker.wjh.harvard.edu/photos/new_zealand_II

11. The Soft Path to Water – Core Principles • Strives for sustainability by increasing productivity Self-contained composting toilet Source: www.survivalunlimited.com/ toilet.htm

12. The Soft Path Starts with a Vision… • To reduce water consumption by XX% and that leads to a water conservation revolution across all sectors • The town of Oliver, BC Canada • Reduced water consumption by 50% • All “new”water comes from conservation • Aquifers protected • Local & provincial governments support new water management plan

13. Backcasting: Connecting the Future to the Present • Define sustainable future scenario(s) • First meet basic human and ecosystem needs for water • Distribute remaining resource efficiently • Work backwards to link present to desired future • Maximize productivity for economic development and other social needs

14. Backcasting: Connecting the Future to the Present • No new water sources developed before 2050 • All future water needs met by efficiency and conservation • Strategic thinking on the right policies and programs • Long term thinking – difficult to do • Climate change

15. Soft Path Options Source: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance

16. Soft Path Options Source: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance

17. Soft Path Options Source: POLIS Project on Ecological Governance

18. Final Thought… “As we peer into the twenty-first century,water conservation is looking far more like an imperative than an option.” A.Vickers (2001) Handbook of Water Use and Conservation