1. Resource Decoupling and the Sustainability Transition: the Case of Water
Prof Mark Swilling
Centre for Complex Systems in Transition
School of Public Leadership
Stellenbosch University

5. Footprinting Materials: 6t/c Materials: 8t/c CO2: 2.2 t/cap

6. International Resource Panel
Co-lead authors:
M. Fischer-Kowalski
Mark Swilling
UNEP’s International Resource Panel is conducting a series of assessments that seek to support sustainable use of resources and to reduce the impact of any resources that are being uses. In other words, it is finding ways to decoupling resource consumption and negative environmental impacts from economic development. The study presented here explores some of the challenges of decoupling, drawing of existing literature and case studies from four countries. In future work, it expects to identify ways of meeting these challenges and providing insights from additional country-level case studies.

7. Four categories of primary raw materials
Construction minerals
Fossil fuels
This first approach to decoupling addressed four categories of raw materials, shown here. Other important resources, such as water and soil and land resources, are being addressed by other working groups of the International Resource Panel, and the Metals Working Group has provided important material to this study.
Metal Ores &
industrial minerals
Biomass

9. International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
1 June 2010
International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

10. International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources
1 June 2010
International Panel on the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources

11. Resource prices on the rise, recently
The price index for minerals is closely coupled that that for food, with food prices especially sensitive to oil prices due to the importance of oil for driving farm machinery, producing fertilizers and pesticides, running irrigation systems, providing transport and refrigeration, and so forth. The use of some food crops as biofuels also complicates the picture, as indicated by an earlier report from the International Resource Panel.

12. Decoupling: resource & impact
Resource use
Human well-being
Economic activity (GDP)
Environmental impact
Resource decoupling
Impact decoupling

13. A
Socio-metabolic cycles
+ fossil fuels, minerals
& metals, 8.7b ha of
land, extract
120 b tons of stuff+
pollution
temp
spaces,
meat, wild
food, fire
soils, land,
building
materials
water
biomass
fossil fuels,
- pollution
Materials
+ renewable energy
Agricultural epoch
industrial epoch
sustainability era?
Hunter/
gatherers
over
years ago
250 years
ago
start of the
Anthropocene
Last ice
Age –
years ago
Adapted from: Fischer-Kowalski, M. et. al Socioecological transitions and
global change.

15. Water Region Projected Change from 2005 to 2030 China 61% India 58%
Rest of Asia
54%
Sub-Saharan Africa
283%
North America
43%
Europe
50%
South America
95%
Oceania
109%

16. Water stressed areas
(405 dead zones in 2005)

22. Solutions reduce non-revenue water (i.e. losses)
radical water efficiency measures, especially in agriculture
reconfigure urban water and sanitation systems – closed loop water management
decentralization

23. Problems in the catchment
Farm unrest – mechanization - unemployment
Water quality (Breede)
Water quantity (Breede)
small farmer development programs – more water demand
Adherence to environmental and water laws
Export fruit – pollution detection
Electricity usage – water pumping
Policy makers who lack a systems perspective
Research - band-aid for old problems

24. A complex system
Courtesy of Prof. W Flügel, Jena Germany

25. Expected solutions Providing more jobs Lower electricity usage
Rural livelihoods – more small farmers
Lower environmental footprint
Better water quality and quantity
Make it easier for farmers to operate within the legislation
Better control over river health
Better water metering
Etc….

26. Examples Water distribution schemes that comply Those that don’t
Teewater – Franschoek – Jonkershoek scheme.
Blydepoort - 95% effective
Those that don’t
Breede River
Berg River
Oliphant's River

27. Taking stock of water in Breede (WRC Report)
Only 30% of precipitation captured in dams in dams
Recorded canal seepage losses - 24%
Total water losses - 36%
Total water applied 63% (supply-losses)
Total scheme return flow 38% (% of water entering irrigation systems returned to the river)
Water effectively used 10% of total supplied – massive oversupply, partly to deal with salt buildup

28. Proposed BREEDE System
System perspective
Focus: retain potential energy in the system – link all dams into one interconnected grid, with dams brought to a unified water level (like the Teewaterkloof-Franschoek-Eerste river system).
Outlets of dams get linked to the grid
Dams should also allow direct flows to the river
The grid should be allowed to compensate upstream dams
Buffer against climate change - resilient

29. Example of dam linked to a grid and allowing normal flows

30. Advantages Better and more water – supplied under pressure
Lower electricity usage – much lower need to pump water
Better buffered against climate change
Smallholders will receive pressurized water
Better quality and more affordable produce
Better ecological aspects, ecosystem services

31. Collaboration