There has been a lot of talk about water in international meetings and organisations this year. Report after report has spelt out that we are all using too much water and if reforms do not make systems more sustainable, then a thirsty future beckons. With all this doom-mongering in mind, it is refreshing to note an international conference on the subject that did more than hand-wringing. Indeed, the EU-sponsored two-day conference - 'European water scenarios: from the Mediterranean Sea to central Asia', held in Brussels, suggested some comprehensive and quite sophisticated strategies. Notably, Gulnara Roll, of the Peipsi Centre for Transboundary Cooperation, Estonia, (CORRECT SPELLINGS), said that in the long term, because water supplies are affected by suppliers and users, as well as international environmental pressures, "extensive communication and information exchange" is required "between the different levels of governance as well as across the borders."
展开▼
