Enabling Effective Action: Adaptation across Political, Social, and Institutional Boundaries

Politicians care (?!?)

That is the message shared at World Water week. I listened to panels of speakers who assured us that they do care. But communicating for decision makers who speak in terms of economic value and needs to capitalised upon if change is going to be possible.

This in itself requires us to be flexible and change our structures. It is important to think about the next steps. How we internalise the costs. How can we deal with market failures? The negative externalities are the question that politicians need to think about. We have a tension based on the initial problem when we initially characterised the developed world as the bad guys and the rest as the good guys because now the good guys are polluting too. Costa Rica was used as an example of how water was used in the planning. 94% of electricity is renewable and energy and environment were made to be the same department. Protected areas are a major contributor to water and they struggle with financing. Costa rica took a unique approach to fund this.

Intergovernmental adaptation partnership (costa rica, spain and usa). It is voluntary and interim. They examine questions such as "What are the weak links in the climate adaptation chain?" The partnership is to bring innovators and those who try to innovate together.

It is interesting and its helping but the key message that I have got is the problem of working cross in a sectoral way but how vital it is.

Change is happening but not as fast as we like.

It is easier to change the small things. No one wants to hear that we need to change the big things.