Wasser 2050. Mehr Nachhaltigkeit durch Systemlösungen
Thomas Kluge, Engelbert Schramm
In the Wasser 2050 project, the team examined sustainable system solutions for water resource management.
Engineering systems for drinking water, wastewater, waste and energy have so far tended to be sector oriented and mutually independent. In future they will need to become integrated into flexible system solutions. The export opportunities for German water resource management opened up by intelligent system solutions of this kind were examined in 'Water 2050'. Here, scientists applied innovative futurology methods.
In this project, the team drew up a technology preview, supported by a Delphi study. In addition, scientists analysed the current potential for export and demand, along with market activity. Together with economic actors and other stakeholders, existing scenarios were extended up until the year 2050. By means of 'backcasting', scientists were then able to look back from the vision to the present day. Practitioners in the field were included in the process of analysing the potential of corresponding innovations and deriving recommended courses of action for a more forward-looking perspective. These recommendations were made available to actors from the fields of politics, business and science.
The team of this project also evaluated the experiences of various networks already established in Germany in order to promote export. To this end, all relevant networks were surveyed as well as companies operating in the sector. Based on the example of the 'Water Resource Management Initiative of North Rhine-Westphalia' and the 'International Dialogue Centre' in Magdeburg, the potentials and barriers of existing networks were subjected to closer analysis. Building on the ensuing recommendations, the 'German Water Partnership' was born as a new network.
The Millennium Development Goals envisage the proportion of the world's population without access to clean drinking water and hygienic wastewater disposal being halved by the year 2015. On top of this, there is also an enormous need for re-investment and re-structuring in the industrial countries. Growing urbanisation, demographic change, climate change, rising energy prices and global competition demand intelligent, sustainable solutions.
Federal Ministry for Educatin and Research (BMBF)
Thomas Kluge, Engelbert Schramm
Engelbert Schramm, Thomas Kluge
Available online
Engelbert Schramm et al.
Available online
Thomas Kluge et al.
Available online
Thomas Kluge
Available online
What impact does climate change have on our water resources? Is water scarcity also a threat in Germany? What challenges does the water industry face?
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