08/15/20
Adriana A. Zuniga-Teran, Paula C. Mussetta, America N. Lutz Ley,
Rolando E. Díaz-Caravantes, Andrea K. Gerlak.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2020.100552
Environmental Development Special Issue: IAI CRN3 100552 Elsevier
Climate change is posing emerging threats to people and the environment, particularly in arid
regions. However, some groups are more vulnerable than others, depending on their levels of
exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity, which are determined by climatic and non-climatic
factors. In water-scarce environments, water policies become key non-climatic factors that
affect vulnerability yet enable modifications if their impacts unintentionally exacerbate vulnerability.
Therefore, it is necessary to analyze the impacts of water policies on vulnerability,
particularly for disadvantaged groups. In this paper, we analyze four cases in the arid Americas
that illustrate an array of challenges at different scales and across the rural-urban continuum: (1)
irrigated oases in Mendoza, Argentina, where groundwater and surface water management are
disconnected; (2) rural communities in central Sonora, Mexico, where local water rights have
been transferred to large scale mining; (3) peri-urban marginalized neighborhoods in Hermosillo,
Mexico, where competition for water is driving changes in land use; and (4) underserved communities
in Tucson, Arizona, USA who are left behind in a rainwater harvesting movement. Our
analysis shows that water policies in arid regions interact with land and neoliberal policies between
sectors across different scales, exacerbating vulnerabilities disproportionately in less
privileged groups and enhancing disparities. Here, we offer recommendations for more inclusive
policymaking processes that can build capacity, protect the livelihoods of disadvantaged groups,
and reduce their vulnerability to climate change.