Diagnosis of sustainability of trans-boundary water governance in the Great Lakes basin

Trans-boundary water governance is crucial for addressing water-related issues caused by a growing population in combination with increasing demand, human intervention, conflict and above all climate change impacts on water resources. A literature review demonstrates that there is indeed a positive relationship between governance and the mitigation of tensions and meeting of sustainability goals in a given basin. Understanding the impacts of trans-boundary water governance from a sustainability perspective is very important. In this paper, Gibson's Sustainability Criteria are used to assess the sustainability performance of the trans-boundary water governance in the Great Lakes basin. The findings reveal that the trans-boundary water governance in this region is particularly weak in addressing Gibson's Sustainability Criteria factors of Intra-Generational Equity, Inter-Generational Equity, Precautionary and Adaptation, and Immediate and Long-Term Integration but successful in fostering Livelihood Sufficiency and Opportunity, Resource Maintenance and Efficiency, Principle of Democracy and Civility and many aspects of Socio-Ecological System Integrity. It is expected that the findings of this study will have implications for understanding the sustainability of present and future trans-boundary water governance around the world. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.