Shimon Anisfeld (Yale University), “The Past and Future of Water: From Local to Global and Back Again” (School of the Environment)

About the Seminar:

The term “global water crisis” is commonly used to refer to a suite of interconnected water issues: scarcity, flooding, water pollution, failing infrastructure, lack of access to drinking water and sanitation. These are indeed serious problems, but are they truly global? Unlike many other environmental problems, water is typically managed locally, in part because different regions face very different water realities and in part because (with some exceptions) water is too heavy to move from one region to another. Still, there are global aspects to water too, including the “virtual water” that we import from around the world when we buy water-intensive products. In fact, one can define the modern era of water management as the period when we began moving water products and services (from food to hydropower to water itself) over large distances.

 

This talk will discuss the global and local aspects of water management, looking back at how we got here – and exploring why and how we might begin to “re-localize” our water management as we deal with increasing stresses on our existing water systems.

 

Food Provided (Food is provided for in-person attendees only. )