Guidelines for Dealing with Water Scarcity
A national strategy for the future
- Project
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The effects of climate change on the water balance are clearly noticeable. Increasing droughts, changing precipitation patterns and falling groundwater levels are leading to conflicts of use between agriculture, industry, energy supply and drinking water supply. To meet these challenges, the German National Water Strategy (NWS) was launched in 2023. Its aim is to secure the water supply in the long term, reduce conflicts of use and ensure the fair distribution of this vital resource.
Project objectives and methodological approach
The aim of the project is to support German federal and state activities in the development of guidelines for dealing with water scarcity. The focus is on two aspects: the management of acute water scarcity and the strategic, forward-looking authorization of water withdrawals. By analyzing the legal framework, data and forecasts, scientifically sound indicators and prioritization approaches are developed. Special emphasis is placed on the involvement of relevant stakeholders in order to ensure acceptance and practicability.
The path to sustainable water use
The results of the project are recorded in the form of discussion papers, handouts and results reports. Expert discussions and dialogue events ensure that the perspectives of different groups are taken into account. In this way, a well-founded orientation framework is created, which should enable fair and sustainable water distribution in times of scarcity.
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German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany - Partner
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Ecologic Institute, Germany University of Duisburg-Essen, IWW Water Research Institute (UDE IWW), Germany - Team
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water scarcity, climate change impacts, water balance, drought management, groundwater levels, water resource conflicts, German National Water Strategy, sustainable water use, water withdrawal guidelines, fair water distribution, national water strategyGermany, Europe, German federal states, climate-affected regionsstakeholder involvement, legal framework analysis, water use prioritization, indicator development, strategic authorization, data analysis, forward-looking planning, expert discussions, policy guidelines, sustainable resource management, dialogue events
Drought and Water Use Conflicts in Germany (WADKlim)
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German Environment Agency (UBA), Germany
Stein, Ulf; Gül Özerol; Jenny Tröltzsch et. al. 2016: "European Drought and Water Scarcity Policies", in: Bressers, Hans; Nanny Bressers; Corinne Larrue (eds.): Governance for Drought Resilience. Land and Water Drought Management in Europe. Heidelberg: SpringerOpen, 17-43.
Browne, Alison L.; Steve Dury; Cheryl de Boer et. al. 2016: "Governing for Drought and Water Scarcity in the Context of Flood Disaster Recovery: The Curious Case of Somerset, United Kingdom", in: Bressers, Hans; Nanny Bressers; Corinne Larrue (eds.): Governance for Drought Resilience. Land and Water Drought Management in Europe. Heidelberg: SpringerOpen, 83-107.
Rouillard, Josselin 2019: Groundwater and agriculture: a comparison of managing scarcity and droughts in France and California. California WaterBlog, 24 March 2019, https://californiawaterblog.com/2019/03/24/groundwater-and-agriculture-a-comparison-of-managing-scarcity-and-droughts-in-france-and-california/.
Stein, Ulf and Ruta Landgrebe 2019: European Actors and Institutions Involved in Water Scarcity and Drought Policy. In: La Jeunesse, Isabelle and Corinne Larrue (eds.): Facing Hydrometeorological Extreme Events: A Governance Issue. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, New Jersey. 157-170pp.
European Environment Agency (ed.) 2024: Europe's state of water 2024. The need for improved water resilience. EEA Report No 07/2024. Luxembourg: Publications Office of the European Union
Rouillard, Josselin et al. 2024: Building water resilience: Towards better implementation of ecological flows and water allocation in Europe. GOVAQUA Policy Brief. Finnish Environment Institute: Helsinki.
Schmidt, Guido et al. (2023). Stock-taking analysis and outlook of drought policies, planning and management in EU Member States. Final report under contract “Technical and scientific support to the European Drought Observatory (EDO) for Resilience and Adaptation - Lot 2: In-depth assessment of drought management plans and a report on climate adaptation actions against drought in different sectors” (ENV/2021/OP/0009) for the European Commission, Directorate-General for Environment.