Global Water Scarcity Conference 2012
Date: 22 and 23 May 2012
Location: Radisson Blu Hotel, 301 Argyle Street, Glasgow
To book, please make use of this form (located on an external website)!
What Needs to be Done?
Water scarcity is among the main problems to be faced by the world in the 21st century. Around one quarter of the world’s population live in areas of scarcity of drinking water or of water for economic use. With population growth and climate change taking more effect, two thirds of the world’s population could be living under water stressed conditions within 15 years. According to the UN World Water Development Report, by 2050, at least one in four people is likely to live in a country affected by chronic or recurring shortages of freshwater. The implications of global water scarcity are immense and along with other climate change impacts could, lead to starvation, mass human migration and conflicts over resources.
This is a global problem which is not expected to improve over the coming years. Europe and the UK already have areas of vulnerability now, with winters becoming wetter and summers hotter and drier.
This International two-day conference aims to highlight the concerns and discuss what can be done to address water scarcity in a global, European and UK context. It is timed to coincide with EU Green Week’s 2012 Every Drop Counts: the Water Challenge, and Scottish Government’s Scotland The Hydro Nation initiative launch.
Confirmed speakers include: Professor Bob Kalin (David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability), Alan MacDonald (British Geological Survey), Tony Allen (Winner of the Stockholm Water Prize), Ned Breslin (Water for People), Professor Patricia Wouters (UNESCO), Alan Sutherland (Water Industry Commission for Scotland).
“A hydro nation is one which recognises that the wise management of its water resource is crucial to its future success. Across the globe, countries are waking up to the importance of water and to its scarcity. Along with oil, water lubricates globalisation and underpins geo-security. A hydro nation manages its water to drive its economy, improve its society, protect its environment and contribute to its international obligations.” Building a Hydro Nation – A Consultation
Key Objectives
- to deliver the vision for water security in a threatened world
- to create ways for Scotland, as a key global player to engage with the challenges and provide routes for the future on an international stage
- to present the current situation and update information on water scarcity, water abundance, water policy, water technology innovation, and the anticipated trends over the next decade and beyond
- to address the opportunities for extending the technology, innovation and knowledge excellence in Scotland for advancing the water sector
- to focus on the actions needed over the next 12 months to implement the opportunities through innovation, research, knowledge exchange, policy, regulation, funding a
Participants will be given an opportunity to
- listen to worldwide specialists in international water scarcity programmes and initiatives
- participate in facilitated networking and interactive sessions with the range of stakeholders and decision makers in the water sector
- find out about funding opportunities in Europe for water scarcity related programmes
- understand the business case for investment
The conference will attract an audience of European and global opinion-formers and decision-makers and will be particularly useful for:
- Policymakers, government officials and Local Authorities
- Sustainable Development Officers
- Planning and Business Development Managers
- Academics and Researchers
- End-users (urban, industrial, agricultural, others)
- Private Investors (individuals or funds
This event as an official contribution to the UN International Decade of Action, Water for Life is organised by International Resources and Recycling Institute, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), CIFAL Scotland, David Livingstone Centre for Sustainability (University of Strathclyde), and CIWEM (Chartered Institution of Environmental and Water Managers) in partnership with the Scottish Government.
You are invited to join the conference not as an isolated event but as part of a continuing process of advocacy, partnership and commitment to tackling the global water challenges ahead of us.
Opportunities also exist for Sponsors and Exhibitors, click here for further information.
and Recycling Institute
75A Peffer Place
Edinburgh EH16 4BB
Scotland (UK)
+44 (0) 131 202 1649
Email: info@irri.org.uk
Why not spread the word: use your favourite social network!
