IWRA webinar on “Groundwater and Climate Change – Multi-Level Law and Policy Perspectives” took place on September 21st, 2017, from 16:00 to 17:30 (CET).
Groundwater represents roughly 98% of available freshwater and over 2.5 billion people across the globe rely exclusively on groundwater to meet basic water needs. However, the impacts of climate change on groundwater exacerbate tension surrounding current uses, and poses a major threat for the future. Yet, groundwater law and policy primarily focus on governing use and rarely considers protection. Our distinguished list of panellists discussed this issue as well as they debated simultaneously both the safeguard of groundwater and the integration of this resource into climate change adaptation strategies. Topics included:
- Introduction to ‘Groundwater and Climate Change: Multi-level Law and Policy Perspectives’
- Assessing India’s drip-irrigation boom: efficiency, climate change and groundwater policy
- Climate change, groundwater and the law: exploring the connections in South Africa
- Groundwater law, abstraction, and responding to climate change: assessing recent law reforms in British Columbia and England
- EU legal protection for ecologically significant groundwater in the context of climate change vulnerability
This 90-minute webinar was based on themes discussed in the special issue of our flagship publication, Water International (Volumen 42, Number 6) and in our policy brief. These additional resources are designed to help academics, dedicated practitioners, and policy professionals further explore these timely themes.
Panellists
- Michael Kidd, Professor, University of Kwazulu-Natal
- Owen McIntyre, Professor, University College of Cork
- Birsha Ohdedar, Professor, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London
- Trevor Birkenholtz, Professor, University of Champaign-Urbana
- Raya Stephan, Water Law Expert and Consultant
Moderator: Scott McKenzie, PhD Candidate, University of British Columbia
