(g)etting to the point: The problem with water risk and uncertainty

dc.contributor.authorLoch, A.
dc.contributor.authorAdamson, D.
dc.contributor.authorAuricht, C.
dc.date.issued2020
dc.descriptionAvailable online 26 October 2019
dc.description.abstractWhere we may be aware that a problem exists, but have only an incomplete description of the drivers and/or possible management solutions, we will be unaware/uncertain about future returns from, and risks to, private and public investments in capital (i.e. social, natural, economic, cultural and political). This paper explores the unawareness/uncertainty problem by coupling Arrow's states of nature approach for dealing with uncertainty with Rothschild and Stiglitz's exploration of inputs and increasing risk. This results in a modified Just-Pope production function equation isolating inputs to i) protect base capital (natural, social or private) and/or ii) generate an output. By exploring water input supply unawareness via alternative states of nature we may identify tipping points where current technology fails, resulting in irreversible losses of private and public capital tied to water inputs. We conclude by discussing the value of quantifying minimum-input requirements and identifying critical tipping-point outcomes in water systems, increased benefits/risks from transformed landscapes chasing higher economic returns, and the need for adaptive public arrangements in response. These insights may help us to understand future risk to natural capital from rising incentives to steal increasingly constrained resources that may trigger revised risk-sharing arrangements, and some limits to analyses relying on perfect foresight requirements by decision-makers.
dc.description.statementofresponsibilityAdam Loch, David Adamson, Christopher Auricht
dc.identifier.citationWater Resources and Economics, 2020; 32:100154-1-100154-12
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.wre.2019.100154
dc.identifier.issn2212-4284
dc.identifier.orcidLoch, A. [0000-0002-1436-8768]
dc.identifier.orcidAdamson, D. [0000-0003-1616-968X]
dc.identifier.orcidAuricht, C. [0000-0003-4454-7799]
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2440/122671
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherElsevier BV
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE150100328
dc.relation.granthttp://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE160100213
dc.rights© 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY license
dc.source.urihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.wre.2019.100154
dc.subjectUncertainty; unawareness; water; transaction costs; tipping points
dc.title(g)etting to the point: The problem with water risk and uncertainty
dc.typeJournal article
pubs.publication-statusPublished

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