Integration of Systems thinking to Couple Science, Technology, Society, Politics, Policy and Management for Sustainable Water Resources Management

Despite tremendous progress in water resources research, technologies, and management, the world is still facing a worsening water crisis. Over 4 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and to safely managed sanitation. Water quality problems due to emerging pollutants, diffuse source pollution, and the spread of invasive species persist globally, and floods and droughts continue to cause huge economic losses and loss of life. Scholars have suggested that the global water crisis is largely a crisis of governance, and that the missing links are effective interactions between researchers and decision makers and systems thinking at multiple scales that are actionable across multiple governances. Here, we promote the integration of systems thinking to couple science, technology, society, politics, policy and management to tackle global water challenges. We identify four key governance priorities to enable the systems approach:1) leadership across multiple institutions; 2) organizations with nested structures and functions to foster long-term institutional capability to implement, monitor and assess solutions, compatible cross agency, sector, and boundary planning and management; 3) platforms for regular, effective, and dynamic discussion, exchange, and interaction among stakeholders for shaping water issues, goals, solutions, methods, and schedules; and 4) multi-level education to promote sustainable value, recognize inequality, and facilitate water saving and protection. Integration and institutionalization of these four key elements across scales, systems, sectors, and boundaries holds the promise to address the global water crisis and ensure a safe, just, and sustainable human-water system for all.