Agenda de eventos

Seminario Internacional

'Diálogo sobre cambio climático y gestión del agua:

Cooperación Internacional y Capacitación en la región euroárabe'

Granada, 28 de febrero

Organiza: Fundación Euroárabe de Altos Estudios, Arab Water Academy (AWA) y Centro de las Nuevas Tecnologías del Agua (CENTA)

Colabora: Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo (AECID)

Este Seminario se inserta en el programa  de Cátedra Euroárabe de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo sostenible cuya titular es la Prof. Asma El Kasmi, que tendrá lugar el próximo jueves 28 de enero en la sede de la Fundación.

• PROGRAMA DEL SEMINARIO
• FICHA DE INSCRIPCIÓN
  

CRÉDITOS DE LIBRE CONFIGURACIÓN DE LA UNIVERSIDAD DE GRANADA.-

- Reconocimiento de un crédito para la titulación de Geológicas y medio crédito para las titulaciones de Ciencias Ambientales y ETS Ingenieros de Caminos.

El cuarto documento del panel intergubernamental para el cambio climático (IPCC) destaca el hecho de que el cambio de clima afectará fuertemente a los recursos de agua dulce, provocando graves consecuencias para las sociedades humanas y los ecosistemas. En estos últimos años, el aumento en número y magnitud de acontecimientos extremos ha causado impactos negativos significativos en vidas humanas y sociedades.

Mientras que el cambio climático y sus implicaciones se discuten todavía a nivel internacional, se hace cada vez más urgente tomar medidas apropiadas para reducir al mínimo los impactos y adaptarse, preparándonos para una situación que es ya alarmante.

En la región árabe, una de las más secas del planeta, la cantidad media de agua por habitante es el solamente 15% del promedio mundial. Las previsiones dicen que la disponibilidad de agua per cápita se reducirá a la mitad para 2050 (eso sin tener en cuenta los efectos del cambio climático) llegando a niveles de tan sólo 540 m3 por persona y año. En la actualidad, 11 países árabes sufren escasez del agua y se prevé que serán 18 antes de 2025.

El informe de 2008 del IPCC realiza también diversas proyecciones de aquí a 2025: para la región de Oriente Medio y África del Norte (MENA):

- La precipitación se reducirá entre un 10 y un 25%,
- Disminuirá la humedad de los suelos entre un 5 y un 10%,
- Disminuirá también la salida de caudal del 10 al 40%,
- Aumentará la evaporación (+5 a el +20%).

Estos cambios crearán un nuevo contexto en el que la gestión del agua será cada vez más complicada, afectará a la agricultura que utiliza más el de 85% del agua de la región, y hará necesarias nuevos instalaciones domésticas e industriales más eficientes. Las medidas de adaptación sostenible requieren por tanto dar una prioridad elevada a la creación de capacidades institucionales, individuales y colectivas, y prestar más atención a los posibles esquemas de colaboración efectiva de toda la región.

En este contexto, la cátedra Euro-Árabe de Medioambiente y desarrollo sostenible ha dirigido su atención a una mejor comprensión de cómo la cooperación internacional puede mejorar el desarrollo de la capacidades para obtener resultados mejores y más sostenibles en la gestión del agua, teniendo en cuenta las necesidades, consideraciones y oportunidades de los países del norte y sur.

El seminario internacional que presenta la Fundación Euroárabe los días 28 y 29 de enero de 2010, en colaboración con el centro para las nuevas tecnologías del agua en Sevilla (CENTA) y la academia árabe del agua (AWA), pondrá de manifiesto estos asuntos y abordará posibles soluciones. El diálogo contratará con ponentes que provienen de de la Universidad, academias, organizaciones públicas y privadas del agua, instituciones del gobierno, usuarios y medios de comunicación.

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«The countries of the world must act now, act together and act differently in order to face the challenges of the climate change »
Robert B. Zoellick, President of the World Bank

CONTEXT AND RELEVANCE

The Technical Paper VI on Climate Change and Water of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), released in June 2008, highlights the fact that climate change will strongly impact freshwater resources with wide-ranging consequences for human societies and ecosystems. In recent years, the observed increase in extreme events (e.g. floods and droughts), and in their magnitude, caused significant negative impacts on human lives and societies.

While climate change and its implications may still be debated at international level, the water community worldwide, and decision makers in particular, are faced with the urgency for taking appropriate action to minimize the impacts and adapt to the already alarming situation.

In the Arab region, the world's driest region, the average amount of water per inhabitant is only 15% of the world's average. The per capita water availability is projected to fall by half around 2050 even without the effects of climate change to reach levels as low as 540 m3/cap/year. Today, 11 Arab countries suffer from water scarcity and this number is anticipated to reach 18 by 2025. The projected negative effects of climate change will not make the situation any better. The 2008 IPCC report anticipates for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region declining rainfall (-10 to -25%), declining soils moisture (-5 to -10%), declining runoff (-10 to -40%), and increasing evaporation (+5 to +20%). These changes will create a new and more difficult context for water management. The increased water scarcity combined with greater variability will affect agriculture which uses more than 85% of the region's water resources and will exacerbate the pressure for more efficient domestic and industrial uses.

Sustainable adaptation measures will require that high priority be given to capacity building both at individual and institutional levels. More attention also needs to be directed toward effective collaboration schemes.

In Europe, rainfall patterns will change due to climate change, concentrating the rainfall season (in time and intensity) while dry periods are expected to last longer. As a result, all European countries will face an increase in the severity of extreme events such as floods and droughts, affecting not only water availability but water quality as well. According to the IPCC report, the already hot and semi-arid climate of southern Europe is expected to become still warmer and drier, threatening its waterways, hydropower, agricultural production and timber harvests. Decision makers in Europe will then need to put in place measures to cope with the two major water management challenges posed by climate change in Europe: increasing water stress mainly in southeastern Europe, and increasing risk of floods throughout most of the continent. On the other hand, current water management practices may not be robust enough to cope with the impacts of climate change on water supply reliability, flood risk, health, agriculture, energy and aquatic ecosystems and the goods and services they provide. They lack the flexibility to adapt to sudden changes that may occur due to climatic or non-climatic reasons (population migration, extended droughts...). Adaptation measures cover a wide range of activities requiring not only integrated demand-side and supply side strategies but also risk management and social development as well.

Climate change is a global issue; however, because impacts are suffered locally, countries do not bear equally the weight of climate change palliative and management measures. Hence the high relevance of improving (if existing) and creating (when missing) strong and durable cooperation liaisons, aimed to build effective capacity and ensure equity.

Because of similarities in climatic and hydrological conditions, Mediterranean countries in the Euro-Arab region face common challenges for the use and management of their water resources. Exploring and optimizing collaboration schemes between the Arab region and countries from the South of Europe such as Spain bear particular relevance given the cultural and historical links that facilitate dialogue and experience sharing. Moreover, Spain is vulnerable to climate change due to its geographical position but the needed adaptations may be facilitated by measures already undertaken for supply such as the development of desalination facilities, new technologies for water treatment and re-use, as well as programs for the improvement of demand management namely in irrigation. Evaluation of these measures can be of interest to Arab countries to seek inspiration from success stories and reflect on lessons learned from experiences that have shown limitations and less successful results.

From their side, some Arab countries have initiated innovative collaboration mechanisms to effectively respond to water challenges through capacity building and know-how transfer between Arab and African countries. This South-South cooperation which also involves European countries such as Spain, France and Germany has shown promising results and has opened new perspectives for development. Moreover, it has established pragmatic partnerships that can provide useful in tackling the interconnected challenges posed by climate change.

In this context, the Euro-Arab Chair for Environment and Sustainable Development has directed its research towards a better understanding of how international cooperation can improve capacity development for better and more sustainable water outcomes while taking into consideration needs and opportunities of North and South countries.

The issue will be specifically addressed during the international workshop organized in the Euro-Arab Foundation in Granada on 28-29 January 2010 in collaboration with the Center for the New Water Technologies in Seville (CENTA) and the Arab Water Academy (AWA). The dialogue will engage stakeholders from Academia, public and private water organizations, government institutions, users associations and the media.

OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKSHOP
• Effectively engage stakeholders to ensure that the different ways of thinking are integrated in designing pragmatic solutions. Advocate bridge-building between academia, research centers, water professionals, government institutions, private sector organizations, users associations, civil society and the media.
• Identify needs for capacity building and possible responses through innovative multidirectional international cooperation schemes involving North and South countries.
• Draw a road map for follow-up knowledge sharing activities and technology exchange platforms with roles and responsibilities for each of the partners.

PRESENTATION OF THE PARTNERS

CENTA: The Fundación Centro de las Nuevas Tecnologías del Agua (CENTA), based in Sevilla, watches over the promotion of a better water resources management, from a participatory and solidarity approach. The main characteristic of the Fundación CENTA is that it creates a space where the public and private sectors share the mission of delivering a sustainable water resources management program projected towards international cooperation, leading research and sharing of knowledge. With more than 15 years of experience in research directed toward small scale wastewater treatment and sanitation, the CENTA is currently a registered Andalusian Agent of Knowledge, through its research centre, the technology transfer platform and the dynamization of society through environmental education.

The Arab Water Academy (AWA): Recently established in Abu Dhabi as a regional centre of excellence for executive water education, AWA is aiming through its capacity building programs to accelerate the shift from a focus on supply augmentation and direct service provision to one of integrated water management and service regulation. The learning programs of AWA are designed to help upgrading the knowledge and skills of water professionals in the Arab region in order to bring new perspectives on demand management, institutional reform, multi-sectoral planning, accountable decision-making, and adaptation to reduced water availability in the Arab region associated with overexploitation or climate change.