Green and atmospheric water An interdisciplinary perspective on governance for the anthropocene

The research in this thesis explores and assembles a framework for governance of green and atmospheric water. Conventional water governance literature has mostly focused on blue surface and ground water, while green water and atmospheric water have remained largely out of sight. Green water is the water in the first layers of the soil that is used by plants to produce biomass, while atmospheric water refers to all the gaseous and liquid water in the atmosphere. Scientific research increasingly shows how these elements of the hydrological cycle are crucial regulators of various Earth System processes, while they are also increasingly at risk from anthropogenic disturbances, with cascading impacts on people and nature. This poses the question ‘How do we govern green and atmospheric water in the Anthropocene?’. Using an institutional approach to the DPSIR framework, this thesis maps out the various drivers and pressures on the resources. It assesses the current state of green water using the planetary boundary framework, and identifies the range of social-ecological impacts, and policy responses in the current global environmental governance framework. It evaluates available policy instruments for governance, and uses a case study for the Great Green Wall in Sub-Saharan Africa to show that current water- and environmental governance does not properly cover the functions of green and atmospheric water. In doing so, it identifies major challenges and opportunities of multi-level governance of green and atmospheric water in the Anthropocene.