A Thirsty Blue Planet:
|
Panel Discussion with Fred Pearce, Mary Seely and Thomas Kluge
Moderation: Engelbert Schramm, Institut für sozial-ökologische Forschung (ISOE)
Although two thirds of the earth is covered with water about a half a billion people have no access to clean drinking water. According to United Nations estimates this figure will increase dramatically by the year 2050. Today the poorest areas of the world are already suffering from a lack of water. As Mary Seely sees things, adaptation strategies are needed to help affected populations to better survive periods of dry weather. For more than 40 years she has been involved in ecological projects in dry regions of Namibia, where, as founder and director of the Desert Research Foundation of Namibia (DRFN), she has contributed substantially to the empowerment of people living in poor rural areas. Both the unequal division of water, and the crisisprone development of world-wide water reserves, have been intensified by climate change, as increasing evaporation caused by the warming of the earth leads to an acceleration of the hydrological cycle. The consequences of climate change affect people in the northern latitudes, as well as those in the southern hemisphere. However, the concrete effects of climate change affect regions differently: the dry regions suffer from less rain, while the rain-laden regions have to contend with more. In this way, the disparities become even more extreme, and floods, droughts and heat waves follow one another more often. Fred Pearce has developed, in his recently published book, When the Rivers Run Dry, a global perspective on the water problems of today and tomorrow. He calls for a "Blue Revolution" in order to guarantee that the indispensable resource water is available for future generations. However, there can be no general solution to water problems world wide. Mary Seely, Fred Pearce and Thomas Kluge discuss what kind of water policy and research are needed in order to meet this challenge. The Institute for Social-Ecological Research (ISOE) believes that solutions must be developed that are sustainable and adapted to local conditions, that combine new and traditional forms of knowledge, and that require new forms of policy making. Questions please call +49 - 69 - 7076919 0 or info@isoe.de, flyer as pdf-file (401 kb)
|
|||||||
|
Stand 11.07.2007 |
