Global Water Transfer Megaprojects: a Solution for the Water-Food-Energy Nexus?

Abstract

(350 words max)

Multiple threats imperil freshwater biodiversity in the Anthropocene

“…These are often accompanied by downstream channelization and constraints imposed by levees and concretized banks. Dams are also the source of water transfers between drainage basins, changing conditions in donor and recipient rivers, permitting exchanges between formerly isolated biotas [8].…”

“…New dams, levees, and diversions expected to enhance water security will alter fl ow and inundation patterns in ways that do not augur well for biodiversity. For instance, a host of water-transfer megaprojects is under construction or planned [8]; upon realization, they could move 1,923 km 3 of water annually over a total distance more than twice the Earth's circumference. Continuing impetus to install hydropower facilities along rivers to decarbonize economies will have limited benefi t. The most optimistic forecasts expand the contribution of hydropower to global energy production from 16% in 2011 to only 18% by 2040, due to the concurrent rise in energy (15,149) is similar [29].…”

A Sustainable Environment Requires Sustainable Water – A Review of Some Water Issues to Learn From

“…Some examples of countries involved in water diversions are depicted in Figure 6, although many more examples of diversion could be added, some of which are briefly described below. Of similar character but alternatives to the above are challenges of water diversions described in Taraky et al (McBean, 2023b, Taraky et al, 2021b, Taraky et al, 2021a. These examples are important as they demonstrate the need for substantial negotiations between countries/regions to arrange water-sharing (e.g., between Afghanistan and Pakistan).…”

“…Issues of parties reaching agreements on sharing water are substantial. Meanwhile, conflicts on the Amu Darya exacerbate the continuing catastrophic impacts on the Aral Sea due to large withdrawals along this river where people along the Amu Darya try to grow cotton in a desert (Taraky et al, 2021b).…”

Safeguarding freshwater life beyond 2020: Recommendations for the new global biodiversity framework from the European experience

“…Freshwater ecosystems face numerous anthropogenic threats including invasive alien species (IAS), the modification, degradation, and fragmentation of habitats, overexploitation, climate change, and pollution. These ecosystems also depend on the quality, quantity, and timing of fresh water, an increasingly scarce resource (Shumilova, Tockner, Thieme, Koska, & Zarfl, 2018; van Rees, Cañizares, Garcia, & Reed, 2019). Despite the diversity and severity of threats, and strong ties to human wellbeing, freshwater ecosystems are consistently underrepresented in biodiversity research and conservation (Mazor et al., 2018; Tydecks, Jeschke, Wolf, Singer, & Tockner, 2018).…”