CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION AT THE LOCAL LEVEL: DECENTRALIZED WATER INFRASTRUCTURE – OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES

摘要

A significant amount of energy is used for water/wastewater treatment, water distribution andrnwastewater discharge. Carbon emissions are directly related to energy consumption. Therefore, therncarbon footprint of water consumption is considered an important measure to reduce fossil fuel basedrnenergy use and mitigate climate change impact. Implementing decentralized water infrastructure torncomplement and/or replace conventional and centralized water infrastructure where appropriate can bernconsidered an effective approach for water and energy conservation. First, this paper presents anrnoverview of centralized water infrastructures and sustainability issues associated with centralized waterrninfrastructure. Second, the paper describes decentralized water infrastructure and uses rooftop rainwaterrnharvesting to illustrate the impact of decentralized water infrastructure on water/energy conservation andrnpotential for mitigating climate change impact. Finally, the paper discusses institutional and regulatoryrnimpediments for implementing large scale decentralized water infrastructure.