Open AccessAfrica's Living Rivers: Managing for Sustainability
Author(s) -
Jackie King,
Catherine Brown
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
daedalus
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.34
H-Index - 55
eISSN - 1548-6192
pISSN - 0011-5266
DOI - 10.1162/daed_a_01882
Subject(s) - sustainability , equity (law) , natural resource economics , social equality , biodiversity , sustainable development , intergenerational equity , population , environmental resource management , population growth , business , water security , economic growth , geography , water resources , environmental planning , economics , political science , ecology , sociology , market economy , demography , law , biology
Africa's human population is growing rapidly and is set to account for 40 percent of global numbers by 2100. Further development of its inland waters, to enhance water and energy security, is inevitable. Will it follow the development pathway of industrialized countries, often destructive of ecosystems, biodiversity, and river-dependent social structures, or can it chart a new way into the future based on global lessons of equity and sustainability? This essay tracks the global and African growth of the benefits and costs of water resource developments, explores the reasons for the costs, and offers insights on new scientific thinking that can help guide Africa to a more sustainable future.