Water for a Thirsty World: Economics, Policy and Technology
GEOG 4970/5970
- Jadwiga Ziolkowska, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sustainability
- Aondover Tarhule, Dept. of Geography and Environmental Sustainability
One of the Millennium Development Goals identified by the United Nations Development Program is a 50% reduction of the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. Water is crucial for proper functioning of each household, sector and economy around the world. Due to the growing population, global water demand is estimated to increase by 46% between 2000 and 2050 (UN, 2014; OECD, 2012). At the same time, excessive aquifer deletion and unexpected weather events like drought in many regions of the world confront mankind with an urgent question how to use shrinking water resources in a responsible way to conserve and sustain them for future generations. Furthermore, what are the most cost-effective approaches and technologies and how can regional and national policies foster sustainable water use in the long-term?
This course will address those highly relevant problems with a wide range of diversified perspectives and experiences provided by the invited speakers and the course lecturers. The course will comprise four main areas: 1) It will emphasize the Water-Energy-Food Nexus and address the impact of different water users (agriculture, industry sector, municipalities, etc.) on water resource availability; 2) It will address impacts of Climate Change on water availability around the world and what actions can be taken to mitigate water scarcity; 3) It will focus on three main ways of solving the defined problems, such as Economics, Policies and Technologies and how they can be designed to support sustainable water use; and 4) It will provide practical examples from different countries around the world to show regional water problems and proven methods of solving them. The discussion provided with the above mentioned topics and the course as a whole will allow students to recognize the main problem areas of water use in the US and other countries in the world. Furthermore, it will enhance students’ innovative, analytical and critical thinking about new and better ways of sustaining water resources in the short and long-term.
Public Lecture Series
"California’s Perfect Drought, Climate Change and What It All Means for the Future"
Tuesday, February 9, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
National Weather Center, NWC1350
Glen MacDonald
Professor of Geography, University of California Los Angeles
Glen M. MacDonald is UCLA John Muir Memorial Chair of Geography. His research focuses on climate change, its causes and its impact on the environment and society. A particular focus has been water resources and society and the concept of the ‘Perfect Drought’. He also works on the legacy of John Muir and ‘New Environmentalism’. He has over 150 scientific and popular press pieces and an award winning book on biogeography. He is a Member of the National Academy of Sciences, Fellow of the American Geophysical Union, Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Guggenheim Fellow.
Reducing the Gulf of Mexico Dead Zone: How Integrated Water Quality Modeling Can Help Design Cost Effective Solutions
Tuesday, February 16, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
National Weather Center, NWC1350
Catherine Kling
Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Economics, Iowa State University
Cathy Kling, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor of economics, has served as the director of CARD (Center for Agricultural and Rural Development) since July 2013, after having served many years as the division head of CARD's Resource and Environmental Policy Division. She received a bachelor's degree in business and economics from the University of Iowa and a doctorate in economics from the University of Maryland. In her work at CARD, Kling is undertaking research to examine how agricultural practices affect water quality, wildlife, soil carbon content, and greenhouse gases.
Welcome to the Big SH2OW: the Sustainability Water Wars of the 21st Century
Tuesday, March 1, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
National Weather Center, NWC1350
Daniel Wildcat
Professor, Haskell Indian Nations University
Daniel Wildcat, Ph.D., is a professor at Haskell Indian Nations University in Lawrence, Kansas, and an accomplished scholar who writes on indigenous knowledge, technology, environment, and education. He is also co-director of the Haskell Environmental Research Studies Center, which he founded with colleagues from the Center for Hazardous Substance Research at Kansas State University. A Yuchi member of the Muscogee Nation of Oklahoma, Dr. Wildcat is the coauthor, with Vine Deloria, Jr., of Power and Place: Indian Education in America (Fulcrum, 2001), and coeditor, with Steve Pavlik, of Destroying Dogma: Vine Deloria, Jr., and His Influence on American Society (Fulcrum, 2006). Known for his commitment to environmental defense and cultural diversity, Dr. Wildcat has been honored by the Kansas City organization The Future Is Now with the Heart Peace Award. His newest book, Red Alert! Saving the Planet with Indigenous Knowledge will be released later this year.
Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa
Monday, March 21, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
National Weather Center, NWC1313
Declan Conway
Grantham Research Institute Professorial Research Fellow, London School of Economics and Political Science
Declan’s research cuts across water, climate and society, with a strong focus on adaptation and international development. Originally a geographer, Declan draws on insights from different disciplines to pursue problem focused research. He has over 20 years’ experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa (particularly the Nile basin) and Asia (particularly China). He is Co-editor in Chief of Global Environmental Change, Chair of the Program Executive Board of UPGro; Unlocking the Potential for Groundwater in Sub-Saharan Africa and Program Lead of the Adaptation and Resources Group in the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and Environment.
Water-Food Nexus
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
10:00 am – 11:30 am
National Weather Center, NWC1350
Jeffrey Peterson
Professor of Applied Economics, University of Minnesota
Jeffrey M. Peterson is the Director of the Water Resources Center and a professor of applied economics at the University of Minnesota. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University in agricultural and resource economics, and prior to coming to Minnesota he held a faculty position in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University. He is the recipient of national awards for his research on environmental policy analysis, focusing on water use and water quality impacts from agriculture. He currently serves as an editor of the Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
