Ensuring more Effective Climate Action with a Nexus Approach

On the 24th of October during the 10th session of the Meeting of Parties to the Water Convention in Ljubljana, a side event was held on the ‘Nexus Approach’ for climate action in the context of the Task Force on Water, Food and Energy and Ecosystems Nexus under the Water Convention. The Task Force,  led by Finland, aims to identify potential synergies between economic sectors that can be explored and utilised in selected transboundary river basins. This side event is noteworthy one the one hand because it signals the gradual integration of climate mitigation and adaptation work into the activities within the framework of the Convention. On the other hand, it is noteworthy because of the central importance of integrating water management into and finding synergies with policies and programmes in other sectors such as food and energy.  

The event was facilitated by Dr Annukka Lipponen, Chief Water Resources Specialist at the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

The event opened with a keynote speech delivered by Dr. Maria Gwynn from the International Association of Water Law (AIDA). Dr Gwynn noted the increasing exposure to climate change, pointing out how increasing temperatures are currently affecting the hydrological cycle, causing droughts and floods, degrading land, melting glaciers, raising seal levels and reducing water availability.

Taking account of the economic, social and environmental aspects of these these impacts is essential for climate resilience, as they are the main pillars on which sustainable development rests, she argued. However, in a world with an ever-growing population, the different demands on these resources will increase, which will likely bring about tensions, especially if it is seen as a competition for water allocation. The only way to meet these demands while avoiding a ‘zero-sum-game’ is through cooperation. This kind of cooperation must be translated into concrete actions and must take everyone's interest into account. We can ensure this by combining four types of actions. The first is the reduction of global emissions - to which hydropower can contribute. Secondly adaptation and increased resilience is needed to the impacts of climate change through early warning systems, more resilient agricultural systems and diversified economic activity, third measures for ecosystem protection and restoration need to be implemented: reforestation and restoration of degraded lands which will have a protective impact in water courses and limit sedimentation. Fourth, sustainable water management needs to be strengthened to prevent excessive flooding and avoid water scarcity. This will require investment in infrastructure and modern technology for more efficient water use.

To implement these actions in a context in which most of these water resources are shared, we need to recognise that 153 UN member states rely on water that either flows to or from another country. In this regard, the UN Water Convention is one of the most important legal instruments for States and it supports the implementation of international law by carrying out actions in a transboundary context. The provisions of the Convention reflect an holistic approach which considers cooperative actions within a water food energy and ecosystems nexus, reinforcing these with its provisions such as the utilisation of transboundary water taking place in a reasonable and equitable manner. This helps us to achieve a balance when satisfying different demands in international watercourses. The Convention compels parties to take all appropriate actions and measures to prevent, control and reduce transboundary impacts. This benefits us by creating the conditions for peaceful relations with one another. The UN Water Convention clearly states that water resources shall be managed so that the needs of the present generations are met without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. And this is expressly recognising our right and our duty to sustainable development.

The next speaker at the event was Ms Tuula Packalen, the Director General at the Natural Resources Department of the Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Ms Packalen pointed out that currently, climate change is already affecting the hydrological cycle. Water, she said, plays and important role in both climate change mitigation and adaptation, and therefore collaboration is needed on all shared water resources, rivers, lakes, seas and aquifers for joint mitigation and adaptation efforts. Luckily, she noted, we have assistance from our rules-based system: in addition to the existing framework of the UN Water Convention, we have the outcomes of COP 28 in Dubai, as well as the concept of National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC’s) which are now also linked to the way in which the Water Convention works. At the Meeting of Parties in Ljubljana, we have heard that countries like Kazakhstan, Jordan and Guinea have included transboundary waters in their NDC’s entities. The key element in all this is that the water, food, energy, ecosystem nexus facilitates consideration of interlinkages and interdependencies across borders, while seeking synergies and benefit sharing. These are important when looking for actions that are compatible with profitable economic activities and also co funding or cost sharing between beneficiaries and actors.

The third speaker was Mr Matthew Griffiths, Senior Programme Manager at the OECD, who spoke about a regional project for the low-carbon, climate-resilient transformation of the energy-water-land Nexus in Central Asia. In this project, Mr Griffiths stated, the OECD is supporting Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to cooperate on water, energy and land use issues. This project aims for the low carbon, climate resilient transformation of the energy, water and land nexus in Central Asia. It is based on the premise that Central Asia is highly exposed to the threats of climate change, while also experiencing population growth and economic diversification which is putting pressure on water, energy and land use. Therefore, cooperation is going to be key to tackling these challenges, and various studies by banks and think tanks and researchers in the region have showed that potentially as much as 1.5 to 2% of regional GDP each year is at stake through missed opportunities through lack of coordination cooperation. The central challenge in this project is to make the business case for cooperation and the tools to do it. The agreements with UNECE on this aspect have been signed, and therefore the work can be expected to accelerate from now on.