Learning from Water Wars: Development Assistance for a Changing Climate

This research paper by Mike Muller provides guiding principles for development agencies to support national-level decision-making in developing countries facing climate change. Muller argues that adaptation should be integrated into existing national development goals and governance processes rather than treated as a separate, sectoral, or externally driven priority.

• Development agencies should align climate adaptation support with the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness to avoid imposing high transaction costs on recipient countries. Specifically, donors should take responsibility for translating their own administrative and reporting requirements into the recipient's existing planning and budgeting frameworks.
• Climate adaptation should be integrated into overall development processes rather than treated as a distinct category. Because national programs are often driven by short-term priorities while climate change is a long-term phenomenon, agencies should raise climate issues within existing priority areas (such as urban housing or agricultural exports) instead of trying to force governments to change their priorities.
• National ownership is critical for the success of adaptation policies; externally driven processes or consultant reports that are not owned by the national community are often ignored. Agencies should focus on integrating adaptation into existing national strategic planning and budget processes to ensure long-term commitment.
• Development assistance often risks creating sectoral "silos" that undermine inter-sectoral cooperation. For example, National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) may be captured by Ministries of the Environment, and Integrated Water Resource Management Plans may be shunned by other sectors if they are viewed as narrow water sector plans.
• Development agencies should be cautious about overestimating the value of complex technical models and feasibility studies in poor countries, as these can complicate simple decisions and may not be demanded by the recipients.
• The political dimensions of decision-making must be respected, including the rational nature of "short termism" in acute circumstances. The emergence of BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) as development partners has increased the leverage of developing countries, as these donors are often more likely to respect the preferences of their partners than traditional donors.

APA

Muller, M. (2010). Learning from Water Wars: Development Assistance for a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-3-response-3.pdf

Chicago

Muller, Mike. Learning from Water Wars: Development Assistance for a Changing Climate. World Resources Institute, 2010. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-3-response-3.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Muller |first1=Mike |title=Learning from Water Wars: Development Assistance for a Changing Climate |publisher=World Resources Institute |date=2010 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-3-response-3.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{muller2010learning, author = {Muller, Mike}, title = {{Learning from Water Wars: Development Assistance for a Changing Climate}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2010}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2023-01/wrr-2010-11-question-3-response-3.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }