And Type the TITLE of YOUR WORK in All Caps
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
PROJECTED AND CONSTRUCTED SCARCITY: CLIMATE CHANGE, GLACIAL LOSS, AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN THE PERUVIAN ANDES by KATHERINE WILSON DUNBAR (Under the Direction of J. PETER BROSIUS) ABSTRACT Climate change is currently a much debated topic across the globe, and this is no less the case in the Peruvian highlands, where it manifests largely as conflicts over water. Water resources for eastern Peru originate in the highlands from rainfall and seasonal glacial melt. Both of these sources are affected by increasing temperatures and other global climatic changes. The Cordillera Blanca, a segment of the Andes mountain range in north central Peru, is home to the largest contiguous area of tropical glaciation in the world, but its glacial peaks are rapidly receding and are in critical condition. The loss of glaciated peaks will cause dramatic changes in the amount of water in the hydrological cycle as seasonal runoff into river networks declines. Concurrently, rainfall, the region's other key water source, is becoming increasingly erratic and unpredictable in both frequency and intensity. Increasing water scarcity is projected to be the consequence of climatic changes in the arid highland landscapes of Peru. Water scarcity is due to supply and demand changes in the hydrological cycle coupled with the consequences of human activities guided by the various valuations of water involved. In the Peruvian highlands, a critical obstacle for development has historically been and continues to be the irregular distribution of water. The difficulty with water distribution reflects physical and climatic circumstances (e.g., topographical complexity, glacial loss, and ENSO events) as well as political dimensions of conflicting valuations of water and tendencies toward privatization or centralized control that construct scarcity. The ability to respond effectively to water scarcity, whether projected or constructed, is complicated by the contradictions between agendas and actions that value water as an essential and profitable commodity. Though there are serious concerns about future decreases in river flow due to projected glacial loss, current water scarcity is more of an outcome of social and political dynamics, a constructed scarcity of increased diversions and demand for regional water supplies. This dissertation is organized around how the various scales of knowledge and political power interact through the highly engineered waterways of the Andes to aid or hinder responses to climate change. INDEX WORDS: climate change, glacial loss, water availability, vulnerability, adaptive capacity, Peruvian Andes PROJECTED AND CONSTRUCTED SCARCITY: CLIMATE CHANGE, GLACIAL LOSS, AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN THE PERUVIAN ANDES by KATHERINE WILSON DUNBAR BA, Bucknell University, 2003 A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY ATHENS, GEORGIA 2011 © 2011 Katherine Wilson Dunbar All Rights Reserved PROJECTED AND CONSTRUCTED SCARCITY: CLIMATE CHANGE, GLACIAL LOSS, AND WATER AVAILABILITY IN THE PERUVIAN ANDES by KATHERINE WILSON DUNBAR Major Professor: J. Peter Brosius Committee: Theodore Gragson Donald R. Nelson Benjamin S. Orlove Carla Roncoli Electronic Version Approved: Maureen Grasso Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2011 DEDICATION This work is dedicated to my parents, Nancy Wilson and Peter Dunbar, who taught me how to do it for myself. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my committee, especially Dr. J. Peter Brosius, Dr. Benjamin S. Orlove, and Dr. Carla Roncoli, who were instrumental in all aspects of my baptism by ice. I am also grateful for the assistance of Dr. Theodore Gragson and Dr. Donald R. Nelson, who provided support and guidance at critical points throughout this long process. This research was also supported in part by the University of Georgia Dissertation Writing Fellowship, the National Science Foundation (NSF-SES-0345840), the Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Award, the Melissa Hague Field Studies Award, and a Tinker Foundation Travel Grant for Graduate Research. v TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................v LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... ix LIST OF FIGURES .........................................................................................................................x CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION .........................................................................................................1 Introduction ..............................................................................................................1 Climate Change: Mitigation, Adaptation, and Uncertainty .....................................6 Scientific Evidence for Climate Change ..................................................................9 Consequences of Climate Change: Glacial Loss and Water Availability ..............13 Site Description and Methodology ........................................................................20 Chapter Organization .............................................................................................33 2 SCALING KNOWLEDGE AND POWER IN ANDEAN WATERWAYS ...............35 Introduction ............................................................................................................35 Political Ecology of Scale ......................................................................................36 Politics of Knowledge ............................................................................................43 Social Vulnerability ...............................................................................................49 Conclusion .............................................................................................................57 3 HISTORICAL AND POLITICAL CONTEXT ..........................................................59 Introduction ............................................................................................................59 vi Pre-Colonial Legacies ............................................................................................61 Colonial Legacies...................................................................................................68 Nation Building: "The Indian Problem" ................................................................72 Sovereignty, Disasters, and Development Aid: Contemporary History ................79 Conclusion .............................................................................................................92 4 LAND TENURE AND WATER MANAGEMENT ...................................................94 Introduction ............................................................................................................94 Land and Livelihood ..............................................................................................95 Water Sources and Allocation .............................................................................101 Changing Water Availability ...............................................................................122 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................127 5 OBSERVED ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE .........................................................130 Introduction ..........................................................................................................130 Observed Environmental Changes .......................................................................131 Eroding Environmental Knowledge ....................................................................150 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................161 6 NEGOTIATING FOR CONTROL OF A RESOURCE ............................................163 Introduction ..........................................................................................................163 Development of National Water Legislation .......................................................165 Challenges to the Ley de Recursos Hídricos........................................................170 Privatization Fears ...............................................................................................175 Conflicts over Water ............................................................................................181 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................192 vii 7 VULNERABILITY AND ADAPTIVE CAPACITY ................................................195 Introduction ..........................................................................................................195 Vulnerability to Climate Change .........................................................................197 Adaptive Capacity ................................................................................................222 Conclusion ...........................................................................................................234 8 CONCLUSION ..........................................................................................................236 Summary of Results .............................................................................................236