Publication: Opinión pública, resistencias y oportunidades para una transición hídrica.
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Date
2024
Authors
Lafuente Fernández, Regina ; Vargas Molina, Jesús ; Paneque Salgado, Pilar
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Publisher
Ateneo de Estudios Políticos (ACEP)
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
El frágil equilibrio existente entre los recursos disponibles y las demandas de agua, así como los efectos del cambio climático proyectados para España, que señalan hacia una menor disponibilidad de recursos y a la aparición de sequías más frecuentes e intensas en el futuro, exige una nueva forma de entender y gestionar el agua. Los efectos ambientales, económicos y sociales de la última sequía (2020-2024) evidencian que los instrumentos de planificación hidrológica no han sido capaces de dar respuesta a esta coyuntura, cuyas raíces parecen estructurales. En este contexto, emerge con fuerza la necesidad de abordar una transición hídrica, que permita ajustar las demandas al volumen real de agua disponible y priorice la preservación a largo plazo de los ecosistemas acuáticos. Sin embargo, lejos de impulsarse medidas alineadas con esta idea, se están promoviendo nuevos discursos sobre fuentes alternativas de agua, como la desalación y la regeneración de aguas residuales urbanas, sin poner en cuestión el modelo tradicional y productivista de gestión del agua. Para conocer el calado del actual debate sobre la gestión del agua en la opinión pública, el Observatorio Ciudadano de la Sequía realizó a finales de 2022 una encuesta de 1600 entrevistas a población general de todo el territorio nacional. Los resultados de la encuesta permiten identificar algunas de las principales resistencias y oportunidades para la transición hídrica. Los resultados revelan que en general la población conserva unos valores productivos en torno al uso del agua y desconoce el destino de la mayor parte de los recursos hídricos. Además, el respaldo social a la reutilización de aguas urbanas y a la desalación alertan sobre la necesidad de informar a la población sobre sus costes ambientales y su papel estratégico, pero no determinante, en una transición hídrica que busca alcanzar un modelo capaz de garantizar la sostenibilidad hídrica ante nuevos episodios de sequía.
Abstract: The fragile balance between available resources and water demands, as well as the projected effects of climate change in Spain—which point to reduced water availability and the occurrence of more frequent and intense droughts in the future—calls for a new approach to understanding and managing water resources. The environmental, economic, and social impacts of the most recent drought (2020-2024) highlight that current water planning tools have been unable to address this situation, whose roots appear to be structural. In this context, the need for a water transition becomes increasingly evident—one that aligns water demand with the actual volume of available resources and prioritizes the long-term preservation of aquatic ecosystems. However, emerging narratives around alternative water sources, desalination and urban wastewater reclamation, do not challenge the traditional, productivity-oriented water management model. To assess the depth of the current public debate on water management, the Citizen Drought Observatory conducted a survey of 1,600 interviews with the general population across the country in late 2022. The survey results identify some of the main resistances and opportunities for a water transition. The findings reveal that, in general, the public holds onto productive values concerning water use and is unaware of the destination of most water resources. Moreover, public support for urban water reuse and desalination highlights the need to inform the population about their environmental costs and their strategic—but not decisive—role in a water transition aimed at achieving a model capable of ensuring water sustainability in the face of future drought episodes.
Abstract: The fragile balance between available resources and water demands, as well as the projected effects of climate change in Spain—which point to reduced water availability and the occurrence of more frequent and intense droughts in the future—calls for a new approach to understanding and managing water resources. The environmental, economic, and social impacts of the most recent drought (2020-2024) highlight that current water planning tools have been unable to address this situation, whose roots appear to be structural. In this context, the need for a water transition becomes increasingly evident—one that aligns water demand with the actual volume of available resources and prioritizes the long-term preservation of aquatic ecosystems. However, emerging narratives around alternative water sources, desalination and urban wastewater reclamation, do not challenge the traditional, productivity-oriented water management model. To assess the depth of the current public debate on water management, the Citizen Drought Observatory conducted a survey of 1,600 interviews with the general population across the country in late 2022. The survey results identify some of the main resistances and opportunities for a water transition. The findings reveal that, in general, the public holds onto productive values concerning water use and is unaware of the destination of most water resources. Moreover, public support for urban water reuse and desalination highlights the need to inform the population about their environmental costs and their strategic—but not decisive—role in a water transition aimed at achieving a model capable of ensuring water sustainability in the face of future drought episodes.
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Citation
Pensamiento al margen: revista digital de ideas políticas, n. 20, 2024, p. 22-40.
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