Perceptions of Water in the Middle East: The Role of Religion, Politics and Technology in Concealing the Growing Water Scarcity

Châtel, Francesca de

doi:10.1007/978-3-540-69509-7_5

Cited by 14 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…Whilst it has been suggested that technological solutions such as desalination do not address entrenched underlying political and social paradigms and arrangements (see for example de Châtel, 2007, or von Medeazza, 2005, it has not been explained how and why the technology can allow these underlying issues to be bypassed. Whilst it has been suggested that technological solutions such as desalination do not address entrenched underlying political and social paradigms and arrangements (see for example de Châtel, 2007, or von Medeazza, 2005, it has not been explained how and why the technology can allow these underlying issues to be bypassed.…”

Section: T His Paper Contributes To the Ongoing Discussion On Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By offering 'limitless product whose price and quantity produced are governed by market forces' (Garb and Lee, 2010), environmental externalities, economic costs and hard political choices were masked (de Châtel, 2007) and displaced. Although problem displacement cannot always be attributed to deliberate intentions of any actor, our case study suggests that the reorganization of outputs, costs, risks and interests engendered by a new technology are a key part of its appeal; indeed, they may be the key to the adoption of a technology and its ability to unsettled locked-in regimes.…”

Section: "Displacement" As a Mechanism Of Technologically Induced Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our case example, advances in desalination technology allowed an appearance of "water abundance" to emerge as a new water paradigm, replacing the old paradigm of "water scarcity" and repetitive crises, which reinforced a locked-in regime. By offering 'limitless product whose price and quantity produced are governed by market forces' (Garb and Lee, 2010), environmental externalities, economic costs and hard political choices were masked (de Châtel, 2007) and displaced. In the paragraphs that follow we delineate several different forms of this kind of displacement in greater detail.…”

Section: "Displacement" As a Mechanism Of Technologically Induced Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…On a theoretical level, this paper examines the relationship between technology and policy change and specifically in the causal power of the former over the latter. Whilst it has been suggested that technological solutions such as desalination do not address entrenched underlying political and social paradigms and arrangements (see for example de Châtel, 2007, or von Medeazza, 2005, it has not been explained how and why the technology can allow these underlying issues to be bypassed. In this paper, we argue that one key mechanism through which this occurs is the ability of a technology such as desalination to displace costs and tensions into new and less visible realms, helping to avoid direct confrontation with existing power arrangements and offering actors an opportunity to move beyond traditional deadlocked balances of power.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Technology in Policy Dynamics: The Case of Desalination in Israel

2013

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This article examines the relationship between technology and policy change, focusing on shifts in Israel's water regime as a case example. Technologies, especially systems of large-scale infrastructures, have offered an explanation for the stability and stagnation of policy regimes in what has been termed "lock-in" and path dependency. Our paper focuses on the reverse phenomenon: on how technology or change in it can induce policy change. Israeli decision-makers have recently embraced desalination technology as a substitute for natural resources, because earlier policies, characterized by a strategy of environmental brinkmanship, have resulted in degradation of natural sources and risk future supply. This analysis is based on extensive document analysis and in-depth interviews. We suggest that technological breakthroughs that rendered desalination economically feasible also undermined long-lasting hydro-ideological support for agriculture, introduced new ideas about water abundance and engendered policy change. Desalination contributed to these shifts because it allowed the displacement of environmental externalities, economic costs and hard political choices to other policy sectors and levels of governance as well as reallocating them between political actors, bureaucrats and professionals. It is important to make displacements like these more visible in order to emphasize more comprehensive and longer-term problem solving rather than problem avoidance or postponement.The Israeli water regime offers a good case study for understanding how technology can influence policy. During the first years of the state's existence (1940s and 1950s), water shortage was perceived as a problem of accessibility, not of quantity, in line with the goals of nation-building, securing food sources and the Zionist vision of "blooming 94 N. Teschner et al.

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Section: T His Paper Contributes To the Ongoing Discussion On Policymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: "Displacement" As a Mechanism Of Technologically Induced Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: "Displacement" As a Mechanism Of Technologically Induced Polmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The Role of Technology in Policy Dynamics: The Case of Desalination in Israel

2013

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“…In the developing world, water is typically considered available and abundant, until there is a drought or another form of water crisis [1,2]. The reality is that water is at the center of our survival and that access to it is by no means guaranteed.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Social and Economic Aspects of Water Use in Specialty Crop Production in the USA: A Review

Majsztrik

Behe

Hall

et al. 2019

Water

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Understanding human behavior is a complicated and complex endeavor. Academicians and practitioners need to understand the underlying beliefs and motivations to identify current trends and to effectively develop means of communication and education that encourage change in attitudes and behavior. Sociological research can provide information about how and why people make decisions; this information impacts the research and extension community, helping them formulate programs and present information in a way that increases adoption rates. Life cycle assessment can document how plant production impacts the environment. Production of ornamental plants (greenhouse, container, and field produced flowers trees and shrubs) accounted for 4.4% of the total annual on-farm income and 8.8% of the crop income produced in the United States in 2017, representing a substantial portion of farmgate receipts. Greenhouse and nursery growing operations can use this information to increase production and water application efficiency and decrease input costs. Information related to the environmental impacts of plant production, derived from life cycle assessment, can also inform consumer purchase decisions. Information from water footprint analysis quantifies the relative abundance and availability of water on a regional basis, helping growers understand water dynamics in their operation and informing consumer plant purchases based on water availability and conservation preference. Economics can motivate growers to adopt new practices based on whether they are saving or making money, and consumers modify product selection based on preference for how products are produced. Specialty crop producers, including nursery and greenhouse container operations, rely heavily on high quality water from surface and groundwater resources for crop production; but irrigation return flow from these operations can contribute to impairment of water resources. This review focuses on multiple facets of the socioeconomics of water use, reuse, and irrigation return flow management in nursery and greenhouse operations, focusing on grower and consumer perceptions of water; barriers to adoption of technology and innovations by growers; economic considerations for implementing new technologies; and understanding environmental constraints through life cycle assessment and water footprint analyses. Specialty crop producers can either voluntarily adapt practices gradually to benefit both economic and environmental sustainability or they may eventually be forced to change due to external factors (e.g., regulations). Producers need to have the most current information available to inform their decisions regarding water management.

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Conflict and cooperation in the water‐security nexus: a global comparative analysis of river basins under climate change

2016

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Adequate fresh water availability is an important factor for human security in many parts of the world. In transboundary river basins, decreased water supply due to local environmental change and global climate change and increased water demand due to growing populations and continued economic development can aggravate water scarcity. Contrary to the claim that water scarcity may result in an increased risk of armed conflict, there is no simple relationship between freshwater availability and violent conflict. Other crucial factors need to be taken into consideration that also directly influence resource availability and personal human well-being. In this review, we assess the scientific literature on conflict and cooperation in transboundary river systems. Most international river basins are already jointly managed by the riparians, but successful management in times of climate change necessitates the inclusion of more factors besides mere allocation schemes. On the basis of a substantial body of literature on the management of transboundary watersheds, an analytical framework of the water-security nexus is developed that integrates the physical and socioeconomic pathways connecting water availability with conflict or cooperation. This framework is subsequently applied to two transboundary river basins-the Nile River and the Syr Darya/Amu Darya-as they represent two world regions that could become future water hot spots. An improved understanding of the developments leading to water conflicts and their interaction can help to successfully reduce the risk of water conflicts in these regions and to move toward increased cooperation among the riparians of transboundary river systems.

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Perceptions of Water in the Middle East: The Role of Religion, Politics and Technology in Concealing the Growing Water Scarcity

Cited by 14 publications

References 2 publications

The Role of Technology in Policy Dynamics: The Case of Desalination in Israel

The Role of Technology in Policy Dynamics: The Case of Desalination in Israel

Social and Economic Aspects of Water Use in Specialty Crop Production in the USA: A Review

Conflict and cooperation in the water‐security nexus: a global comparative analysis of river basins under climate change

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