Publication Date:
2013-04-18
Description:
Water scarcity may appear to be a simple concept, yet it can be difficult to define for complex natural-human systems. The term ‘water scarcity’; has been used in a variety of ways, and it has given rise to a variety of related measurements and indices. Clarity on such a fundamental concept is needed as the theme of ‘water, sustainability and climate’; is advanced in many research programs. The purpose of this commentary is to highlight key aspects of water scarcity that alternative measures such as aggregate indices do not explicitly recognize. A general and succinct definition of water scarcity is that it is the marginal value of a unit of water. We develop a simple but robust definition of water scarcity and illustrate it with examples of the many system connections involving biophysical and socioeconomic factors. We make two main points. First, unlike the scarcity of many other goods, water scarcity is hugely variable across location, time, and a multitude of uses that are valued either directly or indirectly by society. This means that precise measures of water scarcity will often be elusive in practice, though this is a reflection of the complex role of water in natural-human systems, rather than a feature of scarcity per se. Secondly, scarcity is fundamentally an anthropocentric concept and, thus, is distinguished from the related notion of water deficit. While such an anthropocentric perspective may seem limiting, it can encompass the vast range of interests that society has in water.
Print ISSN:
0043-1397
Electronic ISSN:
1944-7973
Topics:
Architecture, Civil Engineering, Surveying
,
Geography
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