Policy Brief - Scholars Strategy Network

Why China Needs New Institutions to Cope with Looming Water Scarcity

| March 2014

Overview

Few places in the world are facing such acute scarcity of water as is northern China, the region surrounding the nation's capital in Beijing. Over the past three decades, rapid economic development and population growth have caused a dramatic water shortage in the region. Groundwater tables have dropped so precipitously that in some places wells cannot be dug deep enough to reach water. Climate change is making rainfall more unpredictable, further darkening the picture for a region that is vital to both the Chinese and world economies. This brief looks at the so-far inadequate responses of the Chinese government and makes the case that new institutions are needed to allow China to meet this growing challenge.

Download the entire policy brief here: http://www.scholarsstrategynetwork.org/sites/default/files/ssn_key_findings_moore_on_hydropolitics_in_china.pdf

Want to Read More?

The full text of this publication is available via the original publication source.
Read Full Article
For more information on this publication: Please contact Science, Technology, and Public Policy
For Academic Citation: Moore, Scott. “Why China Needs New Institutions to Cope with Looming Water Scarcity.” Policy Brief, Scholars Strategy Network, March 2014.

The Author

Recommended
In the Spotlight
RSS
The U.S. and Canada must work together on Arctic climate challenges that have global impacts, from intensifying wildfires and thawing permafrost to endangered Indigenous subsistence and a changing Arctic Ocean, write John P. Holdren and Fran Ulmer.
We’re going to need every tool in the toolkit, including CCUS, to solve the climate crisis, argues Mohammed Al-Juaied. CCUS projects are already burying millions of tons of CO2 each year, but that’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed, he says.
When the Boston Marathon bombing took place 10 years ago, the City’s detailed disaster preparedness plan kicked in and helped save numerous lives, Juliette Kayyem and other experts said in a recent discussion of lessons learned in the wake of the tragedy.
Most Viewed

Tags