摘要
本文重点集中在一个被广泛相信但的确谬误的认识上,即水是非常简单且只需水部门就可以处理的。文章根据与人类社会和自然景观相互作用的简单精神形象相关的、支持生命系统的水的外在表现,对水的多功能性进行讨论。在这些挑战中,根本的区域性差异突出地表现为两种形式,即蒸发的绿色水,它包括在生物体生产之中,以及液体形式的"蓝色"水,它是指被社会所利用的含水层水和河水。作者试图阐明目前发展中国家正在经历三重逐步升级的冲突:水胁迫、争夺倾向性和污染负荷。分析表明,水可获得性的局限将日益严重地侵扰全球食物安全。日益增加的食物需求使得寻求妥善解决上下游利益冲突的方法显得十分重要,尤其是当上游强化的生物体生产(农业、林业)容易导致下游河流枯竭的时候。这样的枯竭将会对下游那些依赖于水的社会活动和水生生态的服务产生日益严重的问题。文章通过对淡水前景展望中的利益分析,针对人类目前所处环境困境提出了一个简化了的整体性观点。就像医生根据病人的许多情况,如他的的血液系统及其循环和质量来诊断病情,作者以她对生物圈血液系统即水循环的诊断作为对世界生态系统诊断的基础。其目的是在面向未来决策中确定最重要的行动。
This paper focusses on the widespread but false belief that water is very simple and can be handled within a 'water sector'. Water's mutifunctionality is discussed in terms of its manifold appearances in relation to a simple mental image of the interaction between human society and the physical landscape hosting its life-support system. Fundamental regional differences in the challenges are highlighted in terms of both vapor flow of 'green' water, involved in biomass production, and liquid flow of 'blue' water available in aquifers and rivers for societal use. The author shows that the developing world is at present experiencing a threefold escalation: of water stress; of dispute proneness; and of pollution load. Analysis suggests that water availability constraints will increasingly disturb global food security. The increasing food needs make it particularly important to find ways of reconciling upstream/downstream conflicts of interest, especially as intensified upstream biomass production (agriculture, forestry) easily leads to downstream river depletion. Such depletion will generate increasingly severe problems for water-dependent societal activities and aquatic ecological services downstream. The paper presents a simplified holistic view of humanity's present environmental predicament by benefiting from a freshwater perspective. Like the doctor bases much of his diagnosis of a patient on the blood system, its circulation and quality, the author bases her diagnosis of the world ecosystem on the bloodstream of the biosphere, i.e. the water cycle. The aim is to indentify the most crucial actions in future-oriented decision-making.
