Factors that Increase Vulnerability
Physical Rising temperatures, increasing evaporation, increase
in precipitation received during extreme events, increase in length
of dry spells Excess groundwater pumping during drought results in
high energy use
Social High rates of population growth, migration, and rapid
urbanization Competition between urban and rural areas for water
resources
Legal Poor enforcement of water law (Mexico) Perverse incentives
in water law: Use it or lose it (U.S.)
Policy and Institutional NAFTA-catalyzed border industrial and
population growth Leads to increased water demand Long-term
planning hampered by:Short-term water management appointments
Alternancia new governments, new priorities Poor regulation of
wastewater use in agriculture
Economic Poverty and uneven access to resources Water is
undervalued Commercial agriculture exports huge quantities of
virtual water
Institutions and Societal Impacts of Climatein the
Arizona-Sonora Portionof the U.S.-Mexico Border Region
Robert Varady1, Gregg Garfin1, Margaret Wilder1, Christopher
Scott1, Anne Browning-Aiken1, Barbara Morehouse1, Nicolas Pineda5,
Ashley Coles1, Jamie McEvoy1, Kate Sammler1, Andrea Ray3, David
Gochis4, Tereza Cavazos2, Luis Farfan2, Rolando Diaz11University of
Arizona, 2Centro de Investigacin Cientfica y de Educacin Superior
de Ensenada, 3NOAA Earth System Research Laboratory, 4National
Center for Atmospheric Research, 5Colegio de SonoraAims
Assess climate-related vulnerabilities and impacts in the region
Examine the nexus of climate, institutions, water policy, economic
development, and land use practices Engage in climate knowledge
exchange with stakeholders to:Evaluate the salience and usability
of existing climate productsIdentify promising avenues for
introducing climate science into policymaking and management
decisionsFormulate climate science research priorities and
questions
IARU Conference, March 2009
