Policy Steps
Setting concrete goals and tracking targets in policy making.
An Interview with Ms. Abby Onencan of the Nile Basin Discourse
The Nile Basin Discourse (NBD) is a civil society network with a membership of more than 750 organizations from 11 countries within the Nile Basin Region. It provides knowledge and builds capacity to strengthen the voice of civil society organizations within the Nile Basin Region. The NBD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the » read on
Roll On, Nile, Roll On!
The Nile is the world’s longest river. It is shared between Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (See map below). Except for South Sudan, all of the above countries are members of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) – a cooperative partnership formed in 1999. Six » read on
Common action to improve Common Agricultural Policy
Dominika Czyz is an alumni reporter and reports from the 6th European Organic Congress: Organic and high nature value farming shaping future food systems, 17-18 April, 2012, Copenhagen. I believe in ”the power of words”. If I were to choose a key word to describe the 6th European Organic Congress in Copenhagen, I would choose a » read on
Wars over Water: Do I Really Have to Share?
Student Reporters Iliana Sepulveda and Arjun Bhargava contributed equally to this post. Wars over water? Nowadays, this concept does not sound unfamiliar at all. Shared natural resources offer a challenge from the political standpoint, given that its management has implications for the autonomy and wealth of different countries and states. As the IUCN notes, of the two » read on
An Interview with South Africa’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs: “Water Knows No Boundaries”
I interviewed Her Excellency Ms. Edna Molewa, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille. South Africa is unique — as a nation as it has a higher financial water budget than defense budget. This is a remarkable achievement for any nation irrespective of » read on
Ecosystems: One Key to the Water, Food, and Energy Nexus
Water, food, and energy are fundamentally inter-connected. Before I began learning more about this water, food, and energy nexus leading up to the World Water Forum, I didn’t understand the full implications of this. Water is necessary for providing food and energy to populations in modern societies. Water is used to grow vegetables and grains » read on
Sharing West African Water: An Interview with the Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority
Student Reporters Heidi Travis and Arjun Bhargava contributed equally to this post. The Volta River is spread over parts of six West African countries. The percentage of basin area in each of the six countries is as follows: 2.48% in Cote d’Ivoire, 42.9% in Burkina Faso, 3.41% in Benin, 41.6% in Ghana, 3.12% in Mali, » read on
Finland and Water Quality: Talking with State Secretary Katariina Poskiparta
With a cup of a native Finnish drink made from the flower of the fir tree, I sat down at Finland’s booth at the World Water Forum’s Exhibition Hall to learn about how the country has solved issues relating to the sustainable use of their waters. Finland has a unique position at the Forum in » read on
How can cash-strapped municipalities find funding for water projects?
As discussed in my previous post, there are a number of ways to finance water projects. However the topic of what options cash-strapped municipalities with low or non-existent credit ratings have for financing their water projects requires a more intensive look. This is a big concern for municipalities around the world because they need to » read on
International Water Law: Can We Regulate Water on an International Level?
Water is a unique resource because it is both local and global. Water flows over international and state borders, between conflict areas and through cities and industrial areas. Upstream withdrawals and inputs greatly affect downstream users, who may or may not have legal recourse to challenge inappropriate water activity of upstream users. This phenomenon is » read on
Brazil’s Rio+20 Mantra: Be More Ambitious!
The objective of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, also called Rio+20 to mark the 20 year anniversary from the first conference in this series, is to secure a renewed political commitment for sustainable development. The landmark Conference also aims to assess the progress and failures in global » read on
Show Me the Money!!! (For Water)
How can municipalities finance their water projects? The short answer: taxes, tariffs, transfers, bonds, loans, and grants. The long answer was divulged yesterday by a panel of finance experts who discussed strategic financial planning for water at the World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The crux of the issue was best outlined through a post-panel interview » read on
Whiskey is for Drinking and Water is for Fighting – Water in the American West
We are now in the Sixth round of the World Water Forums. This was the first time, however, that the United States took a substantial part in the Forum: yesterday marked the first time that a panel was devoted purely to American water practices. The session was titled “Water in the American West: 150 Years » read on
Water in India and the “Curse of Democracy”: a Conversation with Asit Biswas
I was lucky enough to sit down over lunch with renowned environmental scientist, professor and political commentator, Asit Biswas. We discussed the state of water management in India, his home country. India is facing a huge water and sanitation shortfall, which will become more severe in the near future as pressures from population growth and climate change surmount. » read on
The Problems with Water Governance
There was one issue that arose repeatedly in many of the different sessions I attended and with many of the different professionals I interviewed. This issue is that water governance is often segmented to small working groups that may or may not communicate with all stakeholders and groups, so the big-picture is often lost. There » read on
High Level Session on Water & Food Security: What are the Challenges and Proposed Solutions?
When else can you find yourself in the same room as the French Minister of Agriculture, the Director of the International Seed Foundation, the President of the Food Security Council, the Assistant Director General for Natural Resources Management and Environment at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and a host of other » read on
Pakistan Water Partnership: IWRM in Action
Pakistan Water Partnership is a corporate body registered with a large number of key stakeholders from government organizations, public and private sector, NGOs, women and youth groups, and civil society who impact water or are being impacted by water and its uses in the country as its members/partners. This interview includes a discussion of the Indus » read on
“The Mediterranean Diet is Not Simply a Diet” and Wastewater is Not Simply Wastewater
Southern Europe is not known for its endless rain nor its snowy winters. Instead, the land constantly experiences a long, dry summer, followed by intermittent rain during its winter season. This is the weather that creates the rolling fields of olive and fruit trees, green vegetables, and legumes which are hailed for their anti-oxidant properties » read on
Financing Water: Can We Find Capital to Invest?
One of the first sessions on the opening day of the sixth World Water Forum was an introductory panel discussion about the financial needs for water management entitled Mobilizing Finance for Water: Needs and Challenges. It was no surprise that finance was the first topic on the table. According to an OECD report, water is the » read on
OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurría, Talks about the Future of Water Financing
Oikos Student Reporters Eva Papadimas and Aishwarya Nair got a chance to interview the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Angel Gurría, on the opening day of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille. They discussed some of the challenges facing the financing of water projects. Mr. Gurría identified sustainable and equitable » read on
Managing Water Holistically: Possible or Unachievable?
The panel Using Our Water Resources Smartly; Getting Water Resource Management Right, opened this week’s nine-panel discussion about Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The panels will explore IWRM — what works and what doesn’t. IWRM is a principle that takes a look at the whole picture of freshwater use by acknowledging a river basin as an integrated » read on
About game theory, free riders and climate change
Have you ever heard about Game Theory, the Prisoner’s dilemma, or the Nash Equilibrium? Probably many of us, and –hopefully- the majority of the policy-makers around the world, studied this subject once. For me, the principle taught by this great subject is basically that if players of the game (namely policy-makers, CEOs, etc.) act in » read on
An American in Davos: Insights from the World Resources Forum 2011
I was one of only a handful of Americans at the World Resources Forum 2011. A few times I was asked was how I felt about America’s besieged environmental policies, or the lack of America’s participation in global climate talks, or other questions along those lines that acknowledged some international frustration with America in the » read on
Resource Policy: The Musical Chairs Game
Together, Let’s imagine the Resources Policy Game. The game, which started almost twenty years ago in Rio at the First Earth Summit, is played by a group of 6 people. Arranged in a circle, 5 chairs face each other, while the players are all standing outside the circle. A non-playing individual plays the music, in » read on
The favourite scapegoat
Free market economy is often blamed to be the scapegoat these days, especially in discussions on sustainability and resources efficiency. Enterprises are accused for using resources irresponsibly. Some experts demand for stronger regulations, others claim that adapted economic models and even command economy are needed to solve the resources problem. In my opinion, the implementation of » read on
A chinese point of view-Interviewing Pr. Yonglong Lu
Pr. Yonglong Lu, professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences was invited at the debate on the 4th Workshop of monday about “The Rise of the Bio-economy: Chinese and European approaches”. His remarks were quite assertive – “China is not suitable for sustainibility criteria? I don’t think so”-or- “In fact, China is the first country » read on
Champagne, Cats, Frogs, Pigs, Zebras or Horses – How do we cure Povertitis and Affluenza?
Champagne glasses, cats, frogs, pigs and horses : One of the most visually enticing keynote addresses in the Forum creatively links natural resource consumption and conservation, policy directives, economics, dematerialization and sustainable living with images of the animal world. Creating powerful imagery, Professor Ashok Khosla persuaded his audience of the pressing need to change our » read on
The era of plentiful and cheap resources ends
Everybody who knows current European environmental policy could not be surprised by Janez Potočnik‘s speech. The Sloveninan economist and European Commissioner for the Environment opened the WRF 2011 conference emphasizing the need for better resource-efficient economy. Potočnik started with a situation summary, as traditional with his speeches: “The world’s population is increasing by around 200 000 people a day… » read on
Necessary aims are announced – but when will the Turning Point happen?
WRF 2011 has started and I am currently listening to the opening session. The goal of the conference has become clear: Delivering the immediately needed impact on resources management. The reason for this: change towards a more efficient use of resources and towards a closed circles economy is going to be a lot more difficult once » read on
Environmental Monitoring with Jaqueline M. McGlade
Imagine someone telling you: “We are living a completely sustainable life. Exploitation of our resources for example fishery is not dangerous and there will be enough left for our children and grandchildren.” Of course you’d reply: “No, we aren’t living a sustainable life. We can’t go on like this forever.” But how could you conquer » read on
Take 2: Challenges for the WRF
With less than a month to go to the second World Resources Forum (WRF), I’m taking a trip down memory lane to the inaugural WRF in 2009, where I was blogging as a Student Reporter. While the environment itself was impressive to a student still immersed in classroom theories and game theory matrices, the feeling » read on
An Interview with Ms. Abby Onencan of the Nile Basin Discourse
The Nile Basin Discourse (NBD) is a civil society network with a membership of more than 750 organizations from 11 countries within the Nile Basin Region. It provides knowledge and builds capacity to strengthen the voice of civil society organizations within the Nile Basin Region. The NBD has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the » read on
Roll On, Nile, Roll On!
The Nile is the world’s longest river. It is shared between Egypt, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Rwanda, Burundi, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (See map below). Except for South Sudan, all of the above countries are members of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) – a cooperative partnership formed in 1999. Six » read on
Common action to improve Common Agricultural Policy
Dominika Czyz is an alumni reporter and reports from the 6th European Organic Congress: Organic and high nature value farming shaping future food systems, 17-18 April, 2012, Copenhagen. I believe in ”the power of words”. If I were to choose a key word to describe the 6th European Organic Congress in Copenhagen, I would choose a » read on
Wars over Water: Do I Really Have to Share?
Student Reporters Iliana Sepulveda and Arjun Bhargava contributed equally to this post. Wars over water? Nowadays, this concept does not sound unfamiliar at all. Shared natural resources offer a challenge from the political standpoint, given that its management has implications for the autonomy and wealth of different countries and states. As the IUCN notes, of the two » read on
An Interview with South Africa’s Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs: “Water Knows No Boundaries”
I interviewed Her Excellency Ms. Edna Molewa, the Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs of the Republic of South Africa, at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille. South Africa is unique — as a nation as it has a higher financial water budget than defense budget. This is a remarkable achievement for any nation irrespective of » read on
Ecosystems: One Key to the Water, Food, and Energy Nexus
Water, food, and energy are fundamentally inter-connected. Before I began learning more about this water, food, and energy nexus leading up to the World Water Forum, I didn’t understand the full implications of this. Water is necessary for providing food and energy to populations in modern societies. Water is used to grow vegetables and grains » read on
Sharing West African Water: An Interview with the Executive Director of the Volta Basin Authority
Student Reporters Heidi Travis and Arjun Bhargava contributed equally to this post. The Volta River is spread over parts of six West African countries. The percentage of basin area in each of the six countries is as follows: 2.48% in Cote d’Ivoire, 42.9% in Burkina Faso, 3.41% in Benin, 41.6% in Ghana, 3.12% in Mali, » read on
Finland and Water Quality: Talking with State Secretary Katariina Poskiparta
With a cup of a native Finnish drink made from the flower of the fir tree, I sat down at Finland’s booth at the World Water Forum’s Exhibition Hall to learn about how the country has solved issues relating to the sustainable use of their waters. Finland has a unique position at the Forum in » read on
How can cash-strapped municipalities find funding for water projects?
As discussed in my previous post, there are a number of ways to finance water projects. However the topic of what options cash-strapped municipalities with low or non-existent credit ratings have for financing their water projects requires a more intensive look. This is a big concern for municipalities around the world because they need to » read on
International Water Law: Can We Regulate Water on an International Level?
Water is a unique resource because it is both local and global. Water flows over international and state borders, between conflict areas and through cities and industrial areas. Upstream withdrawals and inputs greatly affect downstream users, who may or may not have legal recourse to challenge inappropriate water activity of upstream users. This phenomenon is » read on
Brazil’s Rio+20 Mantra: Be More Ambitious!
The objective of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, also called Rio+20 to mark the 20 year anniversary from the first conference in this series, is to secure a renewed political commitment for sustainable development. The landmark Conference also aims to assess the progress and failures in global » read on
Show Me the Money!!! (For Water)
How can municipalities finance their water projects? The short answer: taxes, tariffs, transfers, bonds, loans, and grants. The long answer was divulged yesterday by a panel of finance experts who discussed strategic financial planning for water at the World Water Forum in Marseille, France. The crux of the issue was best outlined through a post-panel interview » read on
Whiskey is for Drinking and Water is for Fighting – Water in the American West
We are now in the Sixth round of the World Water Forums. This was the first time, however, that the United States took a substantial part in the Forum: yesterday marked the first time that a panel was devoted purely to American water practices. The session was titled “Water in the American West: 150 Years » read on
Water in India and the “Curse of Democracy”: a Conversation with Asit Biswas
I was lucky enough to sit down over lunch with renowned environmental scientist, professor and political commentator, Asit Biswas. We discussed the state of water management in India, his home country. India is facing a huge water and sanitation shortfall, which will become more severe in the near future as pressures from population growth and climate change surmount. » read on
The Problems with Water Governance
There was one issue that arose repeatedly in many of the different sessions I attended and with many of the different professionals I interviewed. This issue is that water governance is often segmented to small working groups that may or may not communicate with all stakeholders and groups, so the big-picture is often lost. There » read on
High Level Session on Water & Food Security: What are the Challenges and Proposed Solutions?
When else can you find yourself in the same room as the French Minister of Agriculture, the Director of the International Seed Foundation, the President of the Food Security Council, the Assistant Director General for Natural Resources Management and Environment at the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, and a host of other » read on
Pakistan Water Partnership: IWRM in Action
Pakistan Water Partnership is a corporate body registered with a large number of key stakeholders from government organizations, public and private sector, NGOs, women and youth groups, and civil society who impact water or are being impacted by water and its uses in the country as its members/partners. This interview includes a discussion of the Indus » read on
“The Mediterranean Diet is Not Simply a Diet” and Wastewater is Not Simply Wastewater
Southern Europe is not known for its endless rain nor its snowy winters. Instead, the land constantly experiences a long, dry summer, followed by intermittent rain during its winter season. This is the weather that creates the rolling fields of olive and fruit trees, green vegetables, and legumes which are hailed for their anti-oxidant properties » read on
Financing Water: Can We Find Capital to Invest?
One of the first sessions on the opening day of the sixth World Water Forum was an introductory panel discussion about the financial needs for water management entitled Mobilizing Finance for Water: Needs and Challenges. It was no surprise that finance was the first topic on the table. According to an OECD report, water is the » read on
OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurría, Talks about the Future of Water Financing
Oikos Student Reporters Eva Papadimas and Aishwarya Nair got a chance to interview the Secretary General of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Angel Gurría, on the opening day of the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille. They discussed some of the challenges facing the financing of water projects. Mr. Gurría identified sustainable and equitable » read on
Managing Water Holistically: Possible or Unachievable?
The panel Using Our Water Resources Smartly; Getting Water Resource Management Right, opened this week’s nine-panel discussion about Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). The panels will explore IWRM — what works and what doesn’t. IWRM is a principle that takes a look at the whole picture of freshwater use by acknowledging a river basin as an integrated » read on
About game theory, free riders and climate change
Have you ever heard about Game Theory, the Prisoner’s dilemma, or the Nash Equilibrium? Probably many of us, and –hopefully- the majority of the policy-makers around the world, studied this subject once. For me, the principle taught by this great subject is basically that if players of the game (namely policy-makers, CEOs, etc.) act in » read on
An American in Davos: Insights from the World Resources Forum 2011
I was one of only a handful of Americans at the World Resources Forum 2011. A few times I was asked was how I felt about America’s besieged environmental policies, or the lack of America’s participation in global climate talks, or other questions along those lines that acknowledged some international frustration with America in the » read on
Resource Policy: The Musical Chairs Game
Together, Let’s imagine the Resources Policy Game. The game, which started almost twenty years ago in Rio at the First Earth Summit, is played by a group of 6 people. Arranged in a circle, 5 chairs face each other, while the players are all standing outside the circle. A non-playing individual plays the music, in » read on
The favourite scapegoat
Free market economy is often blamed to be the scapegoat these days, especially in discussions on sustainability and resources efficiency. Enterprises are accused for using resources irresponsibly. Some experts demand for stronger regulations, others claim that adapted economic models and even command economy are needed to solve the resources problem. In my opinion, the implementation of » read on
A chinese point of view-Interviewing Pr. Yonglong Lu
Pr. Yonglong Lu, professor at the Chinese Academy of Sciences was invited at the debate on the 4th Workshop of monday about “The Rise of the Bio-economy: Chinese and European approaches”. His remarks were quite assertive – “China is not suitable for sustainibility criteria? I don’t think so”-or- “In fact, China is the first country » read on
Champagne, Cats, Frogs, Pigs, Zebras or Horses – How do we cure Povertitis and Affluenza?
Champagne glasses, cats, frogs, pigs and horses : One of the most visually enticing keynote addresses in the Forum creatively links natural resource consumption and conservation, policy directives, economics, dematerialization and sustainable living with images of the animal world. Creating powerful imagery, Professor Ashok Khosla persuaded his audience of the pressing need to change our » read on
The era of plentiful and cheap resources ends
Everybody who knows current European environmental policy could not be surprised by Janez Potočnik‘s speech. The Sloveninan economist and European Commissioner for the Environment opened the WRF 2011 conference emphasizing the need for better resource-efficient economy. Potočnik started with a situation summary, as traditional with his speeches: “The world’s population is increasing by around 200 000 people a day… » read on
Necessary aims are announced – but when will the Turning Point happen?
WRF 2011 has started and I am currently listening to the opening session. The goal of the conference has become clear: Delivering the immediately needed impact on resources management. The reason for this: change towards a more efficient use of resources and towards a closed circles economy is going to be a lot more difficult once » read on
Environmental Monitoring with Jaqueline M. McGlade
Imagine someone telling you: “We are living a completely sustainable life. Exploitation of our resources for example fishery is not dangerous and there will be enough left for our children and grandchildren.” Of course you’d reply: “No, we aren’t living a sustainable life. We can’t go on like this forever.” But how could you conquer » read on
Take 2: Challenges for the WRF
With less than a month to go to the second World Resources Forum (WRF), I’m taking a trip down memory lane to the inaugural WRF in 2009, where I was blogging as a Student Reporter. While the environment itself was impressive to a student still immersed in classroom theories and game theory matrices, the feeling » read on