Digital technologies for the future of the water sector? Examining the discourse on digital water

  • Global climate change increases the uncertainty about water, its availability and quality. Thus, the water sector is being transformed to react to the rising water demand as well as climate change and water quality issues and is transitioning into its so-called „fourth revolution“: aiming towards a more sustainable and resilient management of water, whilst simultaneously encountering the mega-trend of digitalisation. Through adopting digital technologies, the sector has the opportunity to address the 21st-century water risks early on as the new technologies will increase the knowledge of water supply, water demand and other water data which can be used to inform public policy or new investments. In this paper, I critically examine the discourse on digital water and how it is expressed, through the lens of Political Ecology. This is enriched through insights of Science and Technology Studies (STS). The discourse on digital water is characterised by two distinct argumentative pathways:Global climate change increases the uncertainty about water, its availability and quality. Thus, the water sector is being transformed to react to the rising water demand as well as climate change and water quality issues and is transitioning into its so-called „fourth revolution“: aiming towards a more sustainable and resilient management of water, whilst simultaneously encountering the mega-trend of digitalisation. Through adopting digital technologies, the sector has the opportunity to address the 21st-century water risks early on as the new technologies will increase the knowledge of water supply, water demand and other water data which can be used to inform public policy or new investments. In this paper, I critically examine the discourse on digital water and how it is expressed, through the lens of Political Ecology. This is enriched through insights of Science and Technology Studies (STS). The discourse on digital water is characterised by two distinct argumentative pathways: On the one hand, technological solutionism presents digital technologies as the only solution to the challenges within the water sector, and on the other hand, socio-technical imaginaries of the future which constitute digital water as a new pathway within the water sector. This portrays a positive and optimistic future for the development of the water sector which is achieved through the implementation of digital technologies.show moreshow less

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Metadaten
Author:Christina WalterORCiDGND
URN:urn:nbn:de:bvb:384-opus4-1096100
Frontdoor URLhttps://opus.bibliothek.uni-augsburg.de/opus4/109610
ISSN:0016-7185OPAC
Parent Title (English):Geoforum
Publisher:Elsevier BV
Place of publication:Amsterdam
Type:Article
Language:English
Year of first Publication:2024
Publishing Institution:Universität Augsburg
Release Date:2023/11/30
Volume:148
First Page:103918
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2023.103918
Institutes:Fakultät für Angewandte Informatik
Fakultät für Angewandte Informatik / Institut für Geographie
Fakultät für Angewandte Informatik / Institut für Geographie / Lehrstuhl für Humangeographie und Transformationsforschung
Nachhaltigkeitsziele
Nachhaltigkeitsziele / Ziel 6 - Sauberes Wasser und Sanitäre Einrichtungen
Nachhaltigkeitsziele / Ziel 13 - Maßnahmen zum Klimaschutz
Nachhaltigkeitsziele / Ziel 15 - Leben an Land
Nachhaltigkeitsziele / Ziel 17 - Partnerschaften zur Erreichung der Ziele
Dewey Decimal Classification:9 Geschichte und Geografie / 91 Geografie, Reisen / 910 Geografie, Reisen
Licence (German):CC-BY 4.0: Creative Commons: Namensnennung (mit Print on Demand)