Valuing the Envionmental Impacts of Drought: The water industry faces a significant and growing risk of severe drought arising from growth and climate change. Drought will have impacts on households, businesses, farmers and the environment.
Anglian Water Services (AWS) operates in the eastern region, one of the driest parts of the country that is facing significant growth over the coming decades. The region is home to globally important wetlands and chalk streams that must be protected.
In order to strengthen the case for investing in long-term resilience to maintain services to customers and protect the environment we need to enhance our understanding about the environmental impacts of drought. This is currently poorly understood. Assigning monetary values to such impacts could make investment cases more compelling. Investment in resilient water services will have consequential benefits for the environment, by reducing demand for abstraction during drought events.
We are seeking a researcher to fill this vital knowledge gap by devising and implementing a programme of research, working alongside AWS staff in economic regulation, water resource planning and biodiversity teams.