A conference by Upmanu Lall, Director of the Columbia Water Center
Globally and regionally, concerns with water security are growing as climate change has a direct impact on its availability and quality. Despite its fundamental role across the economy, water is all too often managed in a fragmented manner, leaving national and regional growth strategies disconnected from insights into available and planned water resources. This results in competition across users, mismanaged trade-offs, disruptions to operations, and under-investment for critical infrastructure*.
Upmanu, who teaches Engineering at Columbia University, has broad interests in hydrology, climate dynamics, water resource systems analysis, risk management and sustainability.
His current research covers three major programs developed through the Columbia Water Center: The Global Water Sustainability Initiative, which addresses global water scarcity and risk; the Global Flood Initiative, motivated by the need to predict, mitigate and manage floods at a global scale recognizing their climate drivers, and supply chain impacts; andAmerica's Water, that seeks to develop sustainable water management and infrastructure design paradigms for the 21st century recognizing the linkages between urban functioning, food, water, energy and climate.
He has served on several national and international panels and is engaged in high level public and scientific discussions in the media, the World Economic Forum, and with governments, foundations, development banks, and corporations.
*From the World Economic Forum’s Water Initiative
The event will be in English; parking available at Parque Bicentenario or at Hotel Atton Vitacura (Av Vitacura 3201).
This program is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal #6 "Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all"
