The 12th Environmental Conference discusses how we can adapt to water scarcity
The University of Barcelona will host on Monday, 27 May, from 10.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna, the 12th Environmental Conference organized jointly with Familia Torres and an advisory committee of experts led by Tomàs Molina. The annual meeting, which this year is titled “Un present amb menys aigua, què hem de fer per adaptar-nos-hi?” (A present with less water, what should we do to adapt?), will bring together a dozen specialists and activists with the aim of analysing what strategies can enable us to manage this vital resource more efficiently, and to find solutions to adapt to the current drought scenario.
The University of Barcelona will host on Monday, 27 May, from 10.00 a.m. to 1.30 p.m., in the Aula Magna, the 12th Environmental Conference organized jointly with Familia Torres and an advisory committee of experts led by Tomàs Molina. The annual meeting, which this year is titled “Un present amb menys aigua, què hem de fer per adaptar-nos-hi?” (A present with less water, what should we do to adapt?), will bring together a dozen specialists and activists with the aim of analysing what strategies can enable us to manage this vital resource more efficiently, and to find solutions to adapt to the current drought scenario.
The conference will be opened by the rector of the UB, Joan Guàrdia, and the president of Familia Torres, Miguel A. Torres. Gemma Puig, a physics graduate from the UB and TV3 meteorologist, will host the conference, which will be structured around several presentations and a roundtable debate. In addition, Anna Barnadas, Secretary for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia, will present the Government’s efforts to move towards more efficient water management, while Elena Domene, PhD in Environmental Sciences from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, will address the current scenario of water scarcity from a global perspective.
The conference is structured in two blocks: in the first block, real cases and successful strategies on the efficient management of this resource will be presented, and in the second block, different economic sectors and climate activism will be given a voice to discuss how to adapt to the present with less water available. The speakers will be Elisenda Realp, from the Department of Climate Action and Energy Transition of the Barcelona Provincial Council, who will focus on the challenges faced by municipalities in dealing with drought; Braulio Moreno, manager of SABEMSA, who will present the case of the municipal company Aigües de Barberà del Vallès, and the director of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) of the Government of California, Karla A. Nemeth, who will speak on the challenges faced by municipalities in dealing with drought in a video presentation, with the session “Protecting, conserving, developing and managing California’s water resources”.
The second block will begin by giving a voice to the agricultural sector, with Jordi Puig, PhD in Environmental Sciences specializing in climate change and farmers. He will discuss the strategies for adapting agriculture to climate change. Next, Josep M. Pla, member of the Catalan Federation of Campsites, will talk about the tourism sector, since he will explain how the campsite sector in Catalonia is adapting to this lower water availability.
The next roundtable, titled “Nova visió de futur de l’aigua” (New vision of the future of water), will feature Núria Catalán, environmentalist and researcher at the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC); Dante Maschio, spokesperson for the Water is Life platform; M. Teresa Vadrí, lecturer at the UB specializing in environmental law; and Marc Oliva, engineer and member of the Intercollegiate Water Observatory. The last speaker will be the German climate activist Luisa Neubauer, who will give a live videoconference entitled “Europe is on fire: use your voice”.The event will be closed by Ernest Abadal, Deputy Vice-Rector, Miguel A. Torres and Gemma Puig. The 12th Environmental Conference can be followed live on the UB’s YouTube channel. To attend in person, you must register at jornadesambientals.com