Institutions We investigate the underlying social dimensions of unregulated groundwater extractions in selected European case studies. Rules for using groundwater have emerged over centuries and originate in times when there was less stress on the resource than there is today. Stressors on groundwater include harmful, toxic input and quantity uncertainties due to climate change. This
Conflicts Goal 6 of the UN Agenda for Sustainable Development reads: ‘Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all‘ by 2030. However, in several countries of the Global South, as well as in many EU-regions, groundwater is not equally available for all. Some actors consume major parts of aquifers while others need
Quantity – Availability and Uncertainty Groundwater is Europe’s most important source of drinking water. However, in many regions its quantity has dropped over the past hot and dry years as the result of a combination of climate change effects and anthropogenic water use patterns. The subproject ‘Quantity – Availability and Uncertainty’ investigates these combined effects
Quality – Anthropogenic stressors and their effects on groundwater fauna Groundwater ecosystems inhabit diverse faunal and microbial communities. Even though little is known about these ecosystems, it is clear that biological processes are vital in maintaining and improving groundwater quality and hence ensuring access to clean water worldwide. The EU Water Framework Directive provides a
Telecoupling – a new challenge in the regulation of groundwater In Europe, the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Groundwater Directive are comprehensive regulations compared to groundwater regulation in other parts of the world, but their 2027 objectives of ‘good chemical’ and ‘good quantitative status’ are unlikely to be achieved across the board. This is