Climate change and its consequences for water and wastewater management

Abstract

Life, in combination with solar radiation and abiotic processes, is most probably the reason why liquid water has existed on Earth for over billions of years, and the global mean temperature has remained in a life-enabling range. Efforts to limit or even reverse global warming must be derived from the knowledge of the Earth’s complex life-support system. In this context, the balance between liquid and gaseous water plays a crucial role, and water management becomes an important field of innovation and action, globally, on the scale of watersheds but also on the very local level. Cascading use, reuse, and temporary storage of water in urban settings must be considered to limit over-extraction of water from natural resources, and to maintain the life supporting function of ecosystems. At the same time, public health requirements, cost efficiency, and reliability demands are to be met.

Keywords

ecosystem / management tools / self-regulation / urbanization / water-climate relationship / water reuse

References

[1] Climate Change 2007—Fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Assessment Reports. Cambridge University Press, 2008

[2] Pearce F. When The Rivers Run Dry: What Happens When Our Water Runs Out?London: Eden Project, 2006

[3] Solomon S. Assessment of the physical science of climate change. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group I. PowerPoint presentation, London. http://ipcc-wg1.ucar.edu, 2007

[4] Plato (380 B.C.). Protagoras. In: Protagoras and Meno. New York: Cornell Univ. Press, 2004

[5] Aristotle (350 B.C.). De Caelo (On the heavens) (trans. Stocks J L). Forgotten Books, 2007

[6] Lovelock J.. Gaia: A New Look at Life on Earth. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000

[7] Gorshkov V G, Gorshkov V V, Makarieva A M. Biotic Regulation of the Environment: Key Issue of Global Change. Berlin: Springer, 2000

[8] Lovelock J. The Age of Gaia: A Biography of Our Living Earth. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988

[9] Lovelock J. The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back, and How We Can Still Save Humanity. London: Penguin Books, 2000

[10] Drake M J, Righter K. Determining the composition of the Earth. Nature, 2002, 416: 39–44

[11] Morbidelli A, Chambers J, Lunine J I, Petit J M, Robert F, Valsecchi G B, Cyr K E. Source regions and timescales for the delivery of water to the Earth. Meteroritics & Planteray Science, 2000, 35: 1309–1329

[12] Mauser W. Wie lange reicht die Ressource Wasser: Vom Umgang mit dem blauen Gold (For how long does the resource water last: How to deal with the bleu gold). Frankfurt/M: Fischer Publ., 2007

[13] Ruddiman W F. The anthropogenic greenhouse era began thousands of years ago. Climate Change, 2003, 61: 261–293

[14] von Carlowitz H C (1713). Sylvicultura Oeconomica. Reprint published by Bergakademie. Germany: Freiberg, 2000

[15] World Commission on Environment and Development. Our Common Future. New York: Oxford University Press, 1987

[16] Agenda 21 Earth Summit: The United Nations Programme of Action from Rio. United Nation Publications, 1993

[17] Matsuo T. Presentation of the concept of Kyosei. Open Forum on “Future of the Earth and Humankind”. The University of Tokyo, 2007

[18] Wilderer P A. Sustainable water resources management: The science behind the scene. Sustainable Science, 2007, 2: 1–4

[19] Wolanski E, ed. The Environment in Asian Pacific Harbours. Berlin: Springer, 2006

[20] Wilderer P A, d`Arras D. Objectives and achievements of the European Water Supply and Sanitation Technology Platform (WSSTP). Water Science and Technology: Water Supply, 2007, 7(2): 11–22

[21] Wah Y L. From waste to resource—Singaporés experience in NE water. In: Huber H H, Wilderer P A, Paris S, eds. Water Supply and Sanitation for All. Hans Huber AG Berching, 2007, 139–154

[22] Athanasiadis K, Helmreich B, und Horn H. On-site infiltration of a copper roof runoff: The role of clinoptilolite as an artificial barrier material. Water Research, 2007, 41(15): 3251–3258

[23] Wilderer P A. Applying sustainable water management concepts in rural and urban areas: Some thoughts about reasons, means and needs. Water Science and Technology, 2004, 49(7): 7–16

[24] Larsen T A, Gujer W. Waste Design and Source Control Lead to Flexibility in Wastewater Management. Paris: IWA World Water Congress, book 5, 2000, 93–300

[25] Cornel P. Semi-centralized supply and treatment systems for fast growing areas. In: Huber H H, Wilderer P A, Paris S, eds. Water Supply and Sanitation for All. Hans Huber AG Berching, 2007, 211–222

[26] Foxa P, Rockstroem J. Water-harvesting for supplementary irrigation of cereal crops to overcome intra-seasonal dry-spells in the Sahel. Physics and Chemistry of the Earth: Part B, 2000, 25(3): 289–296

[27] Sharan G, Beysens D, Milimouk-Melnytchouk I. A study of dew water yields on Galvanized iron roofs in Kothara (North-West India). Journal of Arid Environments, 2007, 69(2): 259–269

[28] Pawlyn M. An architecture of water purification. In: Huber H H, Wilderer P A, Paris S, eds. Water Supply and Sanitation for All. Hans Huber AG Berching, 2007, 131–136

[29] Brenig L, Mahrer Y, Offer Z. Artificial weather modifications by ground solar absorbing surfaces. Applied Solar Energy, 2001, 37(2): 1–8

[30] Harrison R G, Carslaw K S. Ion-aerosol-cloud processes in the lower atmosphere. Review of Geophysics, 2003, 41(3): 1012–1037

[31] Wilderer P A. UN water action decade: A unique challenge and chance for water engineers. Water Science and Technology, 2005, 51(8): 99–107

[32] Wilderer P A, Schroeder E D, Kopp H, eds. Global Sustainability: The Impact of Local Cultures. Wiley-VCH, 2005

[33] Kümmerer K. Significance of antibiotics in the environment. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 2003, 52: 5–7

[34] Rabaey K, Rodriguez J, Blackall L L, Keller J, Batstone D J, Verstraete W, Nealson K H. Microbial ecology meets electrochemistry: Electricity driven and driving communities. The ISME Journal, 2007, 1: 9–18

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg