Non-water factors in water governance and their implications for water sustainability: The case of Ontario’s water use reduction policy

Alvarado-Revilla, Fabiola; Loë, Rob de

doi:10.1016/j.jglr.2022.02.007

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…Aligned with the theoretical model of Klinke and Renn (2012), our study verifies that overall water security risk in Ontario is equally driven by contextual aspects indicated by evolving regulatory landscapes, stakeholder concerns, as well as perceived risks of water use sectors (Alvarado‐Revilla & de Loë, 2022; Rusca & Di Baldassarre, 2019; Wheater & Gober, 2015). The regulatory analysis reveals changes and increasing stringency related to water management laws resulting in moderate to high risk indicating uncertainty and complexity in the regulatory landscape.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…However, the lack of high resolution data sets and quality of data used in hydrological models, use of highly aggregated data for reputational, regulatory, and other context‐based risk indicators have exposed the inadequacy of extant tools as they may underestimate the total water risk at regional scales especially for Canada (Gilsbach et al., 2019; Josset & Concha Larrauri, 2021; Sandhu et al., 2021). Moreover, current water accounting practices primarily focus on quantifying internal facility level volumetric data without considering the highly variable and interconnected, external biophysical and social, political, and institutional conditions across shared subwatersheds (Alvarado‐Revilla & de Loë, 2022; Rusca & Di Baldassarre, 2019; Signori & Bodino, 2013). Such omissions result in fragmented decisions, policies, and actions detrimental to long‐term water security that affect all water users (Di Baldassarre et al., 2019; Signori & Bodino, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An Interdisciplinary Water Risk Assessment Framework for Sustainable Water Management in Ontario, Canada

Sandhu

Weber

Wood

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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Water is a multifaceted and shared resource providing critical social, economic, cultural, and ecological functions for all aspects of human wellbeing, economic development, and environmental sustainability (Cosgrove & Loucks, 2015; United Nations, 2018). Therefore, sustainable water management is inherently at the core of Sustainable Development (United Nations, 2018). As reflected in Sustainable Development Goal 6, objective of sustainable water management is to ensure water security, that is, adequate quantity, quality, and ecological integrity of water resources, is perpetually maintained while meeting all present and future water demands (Di Baldassarre et al., 2019;Sandhu et al., 2020b). Nonetheless, significant uncertainty, spatial and temporal variability of water availability, exacerbated manifold due to climate change, economic and population growth, threaten interconnected food and energy security and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems (Cosgrove & Loucks, 2015;Sandhu et al., 2021).To foster sustainable development and water security, a keen focus on resilience (stress absorbing capacity) and adaptive capacity of social-ecological systems including organizations reliant on water resources is equally necessary (Folke, 2006;Xu et al., 2018). Thus, going beyond state-centric water management approaches, developing proactive policies, strategies and actions for risk management focused on a multipronged approach by all private nonstate (e.g., businesses, investors, insurance firms, lenders) and other water-using sectors is championed (Cosgrove & Loucks, 2015;Sandhu et al., 2021). As risk influences a system's ability to respond and adapt to adverse events, risk assessment and analysis is a central component of risk and resilience management (Linkov et al., 2014).Given the multidimensionality of water security risk as a construct, water security risk (called "water risk" thereafter) is defined as the likelihood of occurrence of water issues manifested as seasonal low flows, groundwater depletion, degraded quality, regulatory uncertainty of access or use, water user conflicts or other legacy issues that can adversely impact human wellbeing, profitability, and environment (Di Baldassarre et al., 2019;

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Interdisciplinary Water Risk Assessment Framework for Sustainable Water Management in Ontario, Canada

Sandhu

Weber

Wood

et al. 2023

Water Resources Research

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Sustainable finance, water governance, and water policy objectives in Ontario municipalities

Alvarado-Revilla,

de Loë

2024

International Journal of Water Resources Development

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Examining water risk perception and evaluation in the corporate and financial sector: a mixed methods study in Ontario, Canada

Sandhu,

Weber,

Wood

et al. 2023

Environ. Res. Commun.

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As primary users of a socially, economically, and environmentally significant yet increasingly stressed resource like water, the corporate and financial sectors have an important role in sustainable water management. However, extant literature reveals a gap in the empirical assessment of water risk perception and its influence on water risk evaluation and decision-making in the corporate and financial sectors. Our explanatory sequential mixed methods study examined the relationship between water risk perception and risk evaluation (risk ratings) addresses these gaps. We employed a cross-sectional survey (N=25) followed by semi-structured interviews (N=22), with a purposive expert sample of analysts, practitioners, and decision-makers in the corporate and financial sector in Ontario, Canada. Our study finds multi-dimensional risk perception factors, including knowledge, professional experience, perceived controllability, values, trust, location, and gender, that influence water risk ratings and vary with the type of risk. Moreover, the in-depth follow-up interviews reveal multiple drivers of different risk ratings, such as proximity bias, sector differences, trust in various institutions, as well as the influence of tacit knowledge, exposure, the role of regulations, media, and financial materiality. Our study empirically concludes that the water risk perception of analysts, practitioners, and decision-makers in the corporate and financial sectors is highly nuanced and impacts the evaluation of different water risks, and should be systematically integrated into risk assessment and decision-making frameworks. Our study advances knowledge in the fields of risk analysis and sustainable water management and contributes by empirically examining and explaining the complex and underexplored relationship between water risk perception factors and evaluation using novel interdisciplinary Risk Theory and mixed methods approaches. Finally, the study’s findings can help integrate sector and location-specific preferences and priorities with analytical data to design contextually-attuned decision support tools for sustainable water management strategies, policies, and practices.

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Non-water factors in water governance and their implications for water sustainability: The case of Ontario’s water use reduction policy

Cited by 4 publications

References 39 publications

An Interdisciplinary Water Risk Assessment Framework for Sustainable Water Management in Ontario, Canada

An Interdisciplinary Water Risk Assessment Framework for Sustainable Water Management in Ontario, Canada

Sustainable finance, water governance, and water policy objectives in Ontario municipalities

Examining water risk perception and evaluation in the corporate and financial sector: a mixed methods study in Ontario, Canada

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