Science-policy dialogues for water security: Addressing vulnerability and adaptation to global change in the arid Americas

Abstract

In much of the world, climate change is causing water supply to be increasingly uncertain while mounting human pressure is straining the availability of water, other resources, and ecosystem services. One result of these twin forces is a palpable rise in societal vulnerability. The arid Americas" as characterized by the Southwest United States, Northwest Mexico, North-central Chile and Argentina, and Northeast Brazil" manifest the above challenges especially well. In these areas water remains acutely limited, ecosystems are under growing pressure, and economic globalization drives water demand. These global change conditions threaten the security of access to water. Yet the foregoing conditions prevail?with little regard for constraints to supply, insufficient understanding of vulnerability, and inadequate attention to adaptive measures. To the extent that such problems are attributable to human agency, there is evidence that effective policies and actions can alleviate some of the harm. Among the policy instruments available, the formation and activation of interactive networks of scientists, agency personnel, civil society, and decisionmakers is an important and innovative strategy. Our essay describes two such networks, at different stages of development, in the arid Americas that have helped catalyze a sustained effort to reduce vulnerability and heighten adaptation to global change through science-policy dialogues in their respective regions.