Page - 9 - in options, Volume summer 2021

Science into policy Pursuing sustainable development in the Indus and Zambezi basins The Integrated Solutions for Water, Energy, and Land (ISWEL) project has provided a systematic view and policy recommendations to support stakeholders in the Indus and Zambezi basins in achieving a sustainable future through cooperative development. The ISWEL project, a recently concluded partnership between IIASA, the Global Environment Facility, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, set out to develop tools and build capacity to support the sustainable management of water, energy, and land by means of a truly integrated nexus approach. Although the project took a global view, it also zoomed in on two large transboundary river basins facing multiple development and environmental challenges: The Zambezi and the Indus. According to the researchers, population growth and socioeconomic development will continue to put pressure on natural resources in both these regions in the absence of ambitious investments and joint planning. Transboundary cooperation between basin countries, coupled with innovation, can however help manage water-energy-land tradeoffs and support sustainable development. In the Indus basin, for instance, overall investment costs could be reduced by up to 9% if riparian countries decided to cooperate and develop joint sustainable investments through strategies like the promotion of internal trade, and assigning energy and food production to the regions with the largest comparative advantages. Development strategies to increase agricultural productivity and lift farmers out of poverty in the Zambezi basin, on the other hand, should include a combination of joint investments in the agricultural sector, as well as the promotion of wider access to local and international markets. The tools and recommendations developed under the auspices of the ISWEL project will support finding solutions to complex problems in transboundary river basins while also developing local capacities in regions that are in dire need of expanding such integrated approaches. Barbara Willaarts: willaart@iiasa.ac.at Further info: Zambezi policy brief | Indus policy brief PARTNERING FOR SUSTAINABLE GROUNDWATER MANAGEMENT ENABLING JUST AND INCLUSIVE ENERGY TRANSITIONS LINKING CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IIASA has joined the Groundwater Solutions Initiative for Policy and Practice (GRIPP), which aims to strengthen, expand, and connect current groundwater research and initiatives. The goal is to advance the agenda of sustainable groundwater management to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals; co-develop, document, and disseminate proven technologies, policies, and approaches; and to provide a platform for attracting, guiding, and implementing actionable research for sustainable groundwater management. www.iiasa.ac.at/news/GRIPP-21 IIASA Deputy Director General for Science, Leena Srivastava, and Emeritus Scholar Nebojsa Nakicenovic, have been appointed to the UN’s Technical Working Group 3. The group aims to offer recommendations and policy options that maximize the positive impacts of inclusive and just energy transitions on the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, and strengthen the benefits that such transitions hold for current and future generations. The recently concluded CD-LINKS project has contributed to filling the gap in available research on the complex interplay between climate and development policies, allowing researchers to reuse successful policy information and tools, exploit consistent national and global scenarios, and provide important guidance for designing future policies aimed at boosting sustainable development and tackling climate change. www.iiasa.ac.at/CDLINKS IIASA POLICY BRIEF #27 FEBRUARY 2021 Sustainable development pathways to water, food, and energy security in the Z ambezi basin T he Z ambezi basin has enough resources to meet its development targets but doing so sustainably will req uire making strategic choices that deviate from the prevailing development paradigm and investing in the outstanding natural capital of riparian countries. J Population growth and socioeconomic development will increase demand for water, food, and energy, thus putting pressure on the Z ambez i basin’s natural resources. J Climate change is not expected to decrease water availability but will make rainfall more unevenly distributed, which translates into shorter but more intense wet periods and longer dry periods. J The basin is water rich but demands are highly concentrated in middle and downstream areas. Depending on the chosen development pathway, this could lead to water stress and competition for available water resources. J Sectoral and transboundary cooperation between riparian countries, coupled with innovation can help manage water-energy-land tradeoffs and support sustainable development. J G roundwater could become a key resource to manage competing demands during dry periods and increase the resilience of irrigation to rising climate variability. J A n assessment of the feasibility for groundwater use is needed to support the transition to joint management of agricultural water. J The most effective means of increasing agricultural productivity and lifting farmers out of poverty include a combination of irrigation investments, supporting programs to reduce the cost of farm inputs and increased crop diversification, and promoting wider access to local and international markets. J Investments in hydropower and irrigation will deliver positive returns, but the development of the Z ambez i basin will also rely on ambitious investments in access to piped drinking water and sanitation. J Investing in a sustainable development pathway will not compromise economic returns – instead it will deliver large social and environmental benefits. © M au rice Bra nd | Dream stime Cooperation and joint investments are key to sustainable development in the Indus basin Achieving sustainable development in the Indus basin will strongly depend on the capacity of riparian countries to realize the opportunities that arise when cooperation and joint investments across sectors and countries are embraced. J In the absence of ambitious investments, future water demand will exceed the available water resources of the Indus basin by 2050 and put the system at risk of collapse. The impacts will be particularly acute in the downstream parts of Pakistan. J Joint water, food, and energy investments can help to meet the basin’s sustainable development agenda by 2050 without increasing water demand and easing existing water stress. J Pursuing a sustainable development pathway will require annual investments of approximately US$85 billion per year up to 2050. Such investments would be 13% more than what would be required for continuing along a business-as-usual pathway, but social and environmental returns will be larger. J The distribution of additional investments needed to put the Indus basin on a sustainable development pathway will mostly be borne by Pakistan and India, and to a lesser extent by Afghanistan. J Overall investment costs could be reduced by up to 9% if riparian countries decided to cooperate and develop joint sustainable investments. Such a strategy will not only reduce the financial burden, but also deliver the greatest social and environmental benefits. J Cooperation strategies include the promotion of internal trade and the allocation of energy and food production to the regions with the largest comparative advantages. IIASA POLICY BRIEF #28 FEBRUARY 2021 © Ru dra Na raya n Mit ra | Dream stime 9Optionswww.iiasa.ac.at Summer 2021 By Ansa Heyl