Delta Life 8

26 Deltares is currently working with the ECN research institute on the development of a quantitative assessment instrument of this kind. 3 The Blue Nile in Ethiopia, a country that relies heavily on hydroelectric power, has been adopted for a case study. An instrument like this opens up the way to more balanced decisions and alternatives. This leads to more sustainable management that benefits everyone in the long term. Regional scale Innovative circular research can contribute to the recovery of natural cycles at both the corporate and regional levels. Deforestation, drought, the loss of biodiversity and climate change have led worldwide to the desertification of two billion hectares. That is an area twice as large as China. A range of strategies – including the retention of rainwater, re-planting trees, temporary stops on grazing and the improved use of groundwater – can result in the recovery of the ground and vegetation, and give people the opportunity to return to areas where farmers can grow food again. There is food and drinking water, and living communities can flourish again: new economic prospects are created. Impressive pictures An example that inspires researchers at Delta is the Common Lands approach. Photos of Gyangarh- Rajasthan in India before and after an intervention are enough to show how the barren brown landscape has been transformed into exuberant, fresh greenery, with all the associated benefits. The recovery of the Loess Plateau in China is another spectacular case: the plant cover here doubled. World Bank figures indicate that the recovery of the natural environment here pulled 2.5 million people above the poverty line, that farmers’ incomes tripled in ten years and that employment rose. So this holistic approach results in more than just impressive pictures. It generates multiple yields per hectare: the interests of agriculture, food, safety, jobs, finance and ecology are all included. And there is a result. More global stability In this way, a circular economy contributes to stability in the world. If resources do not get scarce and people do not have to leave house and home in search of more fertile locations, there will be fewer climate refugees and fewer conflicts. This argument is gaining more and more support. Deltares is investigating the relationship in collaboration with, among others, the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the Clingendael Institute. That led recently to the publication of Water, climate and conflict: security risks on the increase? 4 In the report Less is more: circular economy solutions to water shortages , Deltares researchers calculated that circular technologies such as saving and retaining water could save around 400 billion cubic metres a year worldwide. That is eleven percent of current global water use. It could represent a substantial contribution to the achievement of the sixth Sustainable Development Goal. Initial exploration Innovative research in the circular economy should therefore focus on how best to deal with cross-sectoral issues of this kind at different scales, not only regional but even national and global. This requires a thorough understanding of the water and subsurface systems and the knowledge that will actually take governments, farmers and other stakeholders in the direction of a circular approach. Participants will invest more in know­ ledge about, and the interdependence between, energy, water, raw materials and biodiversity as resources. An initial exploration will be completed before the end of the year using the Deltares approach to the circular economy. More information: hans.vissers@deltares.nl 3 Deltares has teamed up with the ECN research institute to develop a quantitative assessment instrument. The Blue Nile in Ethiopia has been adopted for a case study. 4 In this report, Deltares researchers calculated that circular technologies such as saving and retaining water could save around 400 billion cubic metres a year worldwide.

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