Abstract
Sustainability in terms of water management implies the study of all interrelated parameters (social, environmental, economic, engineering and political) in a comprehensive way. Although Greece is presented in the international rankings as a water-rich country, it has significant water problems due to its high temporal and spatial distribution of water resources and its unsustainable management practices characterized by a fragmented and sector-oriented water management system. This problem has been significantly improved by the adoption of the EU WFD and the development of management plans at the river basin scale. Nevertheless, because of the climate change effects, there is still a long way to go, and radical changes are needed in order to reach sustainability. Adaptation is a vital response toward sustainability. The Mygdonia agricultural basin is a case study of a highly negative water balance system that highlights the shortcomings of both water management and adaptation in Greece. Analysis of the hydrology of the basin, as well as the climate projections until 2100, revealed the urgent need for concerted action. A set of different development adaptation strategies was applied and assessed concerning their effectiveness. According to the outputs of this research, integrated watershed management is a prerequisite for a successful adaptation policy. Radical reform is needed in the agricultural sector by decreasing the agricultural land and changing crops. Demand management is the solution rather than focusing on supply options.
Highlights
The scientific question on whether the observed recent climate changes are anthropogenic or exclusively natural occurring over time as the natural cycle of climate change has been the subject of several studies in the last few decades [1,2,3].The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently released the Physical Science Basis report (August 2021), where it is documented that “climate change is already affecting nearly every part of the planet, and human activities are unequivocally the cause” [4]
SDS2 refers to an increase of 20% of the livestock sector in the Mygdonia Basin based on the report of the Management Body of Lakes Koronia and Volvi
This study aimed to summarize and assess potential adaptation measures to reverse the unsustainable water management as a combination of different strategies, which were formed by taking into account both the hydrology of the basin; socioeconomic conditions; environmental parameters; and several international, national, regional and local policies
Summary
The scientific question on whether the observed recent climate changes are anthropogenic or exclusively natural occurring over time as the natural cycle of climate change has been the subject of several studies in the last few decades [1,2,3]. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has recently released the Physical Science Basis report (August 2021), where it is documented that “climate change is already affecting nearly every part of the planet, and human activities are unequivocally the cause” [4]. The Global Risks Report of 2020 ranks environmental issues (among them, extreme weather events natural disasters, water crisis, failure regarding climate action) first on a list of the top global risks in terms of the impact on humanity [5]. Alteration of the water cycle (quantity and quality) and an increase in extremes events are major impacts of climate change on freshwater resources. Hydrological disasters, floods and storms accounted for 44% and 28%, respectively, of all disaster events from 2000 to 2019, affecting 1.6 billion people worldwide [5]
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