Legalizing adaptation: water law in a changing climate¹

1. Sections II and III of this article are adapted from an earlier published work, “Adaptive Water Management: Strengthening Law and Institutions to Cope with Uncertainty,” in Biswas et al., Water Management in 2020 and Beyond (Berlin: Springer, 2009).

Abstract

Adaptation to climate change will play a critical role in water management in the coming decades, necessitating reform of the legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks that govern water allocation, use, and quality to integrate adaptive water management. Legal and regulatory tools can also facilitate adaptive responses. This article provides an overview of the ways in which water laws, regulations, and institutions will need to be rethought and reformulated and offers some thoughts on the future of governing for adaptation in the water sector.

Keywords:

• water law
• climate change
• adaptation
• adaptive management

Notes

1. Sections II and III of this article are adapted from an earlier published work, “Adaptive Water Management: Strengthening Law and Institutions to Cope with Uncertainty,” in Biswas et al., Water Management in 2020 and Beyond (Berlin: Springer, 2009).