Seite - 23 - in options, Band winter 2016/2017
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americas
23winter
2016/2017 +
optionswww.iiasa.ac.at
regional focus
Managing an endangered river across the US–Mexico border
The Rio Grande/Bravo is a lifeline for an expansive desert in the
southwest USA and northern Mexico. From Colorado to the
Gulf of Mexico, over 3,000 km, people depend on the river to
quench their thirst and irrigate their crops. The river also forms the
boundary between the USA and Mexico for 2,034 km.
Yet as the river flows from the USA, along the border,
and into Mexico, it brings with it conflicts and challenges. The water level in the river is declining as use exceeds supply—
an unsustainable situation. Meanwhile, a growing population in
the region and climate change are putting even greater pressure
on the limited water supply, exacerbating the problems.
In a study published in the journal Water, IIASA researcher
Luzma Fabiola Nava showed how improving communication and
stakeholder involvement could bring consensus solutions for the
shared river, which is governed by a treaty that dates from
1944. The study provides a mechanism to work within the
treaty, and four policy recommendations that could help
improve water resources management in the region.
“Everyone wants to preserve their water supply,
even when there is not enough water,” explains Nava,
aÂ
postdoctoral fellow in the IIASA Water Program and the
author of the new study. “The water supply isn’t enough
anymore to meet the increasing demands. If we don’t allow
for flexibility in the treaty, all these problems are going to
get worse.” KL
Further info NavaÂ
LF, Brown C, DemeterÂ
K, Lasserre F, Milanes‑Murcia M,
Mumme S, Sandoval‑Solis S (2016). Existing opportunities to adapt the
Rio Grande/Bravo Basin water resources allocation framework. Water
8(7):291 [pure.iiasa.ac.at/13341].
Luzma Fabiola Nava navajim@iiasa.ac.at
Freeing crude oil exports yields benefits
In early 2016, the USA lifted its crude oil
export ban—a restraint that had been in
place for more than four decades.
The recent US shale oil boom eventually
culminated in a removal of the ban
and, to investigate whether this was
a beneficial decision for the country,
IIASA researchers modeled two separate
scenarios: one projection with the ban
remaining in place, and one where the USA
was free to export crude oil.
The IIASA research embeds the structure
of the US crude oil market in the global
trade network and compares production
levels, strategic investments, and the
difference in price between crude oil and
the refined product between the two
scenarios. The researchers also analyzed
the differences in imports and exports in
the USA and investments and adaptations
by producers, refiners, and consumers
across the world.
The study found a significant expansion
of the US sweet crude exports—a type
of crude oil low in low sulfur. This was to
the benefit of domestic producers who
can sell their crude oil at global market
prices. The global markets will also gain from the lift of the ban as countries who
previously had to refine heavy (denser)
crude oil can replace some of this with
sweet crude imports.
“Ending the ban allows for a more
efficient utilization of refineries, gives rise
to a more beneficial trade of different
crude and product types, and removes a significant distortion of the global oil
market in past decades,” says IIASA
researcher Daniel Huppmann. JP
Further info Langer L, Huppmann D, Holz F (2016).
Lifting the US crude oil export ban: A numerical
partial equilibrium analysis. Energy Policy 97:258–266
[pure.iiasa.ac.at/13493].
Daniel Huppmann huppmann@iiasa.ac.at
zurĂĽck zum
Buch options, Band winter 2016/2017"
options
Band winter 2016/2017
- Titel
- options
- Band
- winter 2016/2017
- Ort
- Laxenburg
- Datum
- 2016
- Sprache
- englisch
- Lizenz
- CC BY-NC 4.0
- Abmessungen
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Seiten
- 32
- Kategorien
- Zeitschriften Options Magazine