The policy analysis realized by the AG-WaMED project was presented also at Université Paris Diderot, in the framework of the LIED seminars.
The objective of this communication was to understand the challenges associated with the production and application of non-conventional water in the Mediterranean region. By drawing on sustainability transition studies and political ecology, AG-WaMED researchers Artero and Dell’Angelo examined these socio-technical innovations from a North-South perspective.
Chloé NICOLAS-ARTERO, Jampel DELL’ANGELO, “Politiques publiques de production d’eaux non conventionnelles dans le pourtour méditerranéen” at the Séminaire thématique du LIED « Usages et partages de l’eau », Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France, 31.11.2023
ABSTRACT
This communication addresses the challenges associated with the use of unconventional water sources in the Mediterranean region. This term refers to the mobilisation of alternative technologies to utilise untapped resources (e.g. seawater) or improve the use of conventional water sources (e.g. aquifer recharge). These “new waters” are often presented by international organisations and States as a largely uncontested solutions for increasing water availability in arid and semi-arid regions. They are seen as a means of adapting to climate change by ensuring a water supply for the population while meeting agricultural demand. Drawing from sustainability transition studies, we propose to examine the water transitions undertaken by five countries around the Mediterranean using a north/south approach (Spain, Italy, Egypt, Tunisia, and Algeria). After putting the scale of these transitions into perspective, we sequentially compare the barriers to the production of desalinated water (both seawater and brackish water), treated water, and rainwater harvesting. The comparative approach we adopt will enable us to identify and understand the similarities and differences between the so-called Northern and Southern countries, not only because of their geographical location but also because of their development trajectory and model. This will lead us to outline the initial contours of the political geography of unconventional water as an adaptation strategy for climate change in the Mediterranean region.