Waters Without Borders: Scarcity and the Future of State Interactions over Shared Water Resources

Abstract

In response to demographic forces, climate change, globalization, shifting societal values and norms, low rates of adoption of technological innovation, inadequate domestic and international laws, and market forces, pressures on water resources have increased to levels unprecedented in human history. Unanswered, the trend will accelerate in the future. Despite earlier perceptions that water scarcity most often leads to conflict, many recent studies conclude that cooperation is actually a more prevalent outcome in situations where two or more countries share water resources. Either way, future trends should not be overly predicated on past outcomes given that the anticipated scale of the impending water crisis exponentially outstrips scarcity conditions experienced to date.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2010
Accession Number
AD1020127

Entities

People

  • Douglas J. Hellinger

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Climate Change
  • Department Of Defense
  • Droughts
  • Environmental Protection
  • Globalization
  • Groundwater
  • Intellectual Property
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Conflicts
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Environmental Engineering
  • Strategic Security Studies