Water Sustainability Lecture by Jerry Schnoor 2013

Abstract: Water is a vital renewable resource for society which is increasingly stressed by multiple demands of water supply, agriculture, industry, recreation, and ecosystems.   Changes in water supply and demands for water are driven by population growth, climate and land use change, and our energy choices (such as biofuels, oil sands, and shale gas).  In this talk, we discuss the drivers affecting water sustainability and potential solutions including:  adapting to a changing water world, reusing water directly and indirectly, developing resilient water infrastructure, and taking a more holistic management approach to the entire water cycle.  Mitigation and adaptation to climate change are grand challenges of the 21st century which must be addressed to make real progress on water sustainability.

Because of it's length, the lecture has been split into two separate videos.

About Jerald L. Schnoor:

Ph.D., P.E., BCEE Allen S. Henry Chair in Engineering; Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering; Professor, Occupational and Environmental Health; and Co-Director, Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research; The University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.

Professor Schnoor is a member of the National Academy of Engineering (elected in 1999) for his pioneering work using mathematical models in science policy decisions. He testified several times before Congress on environmental protection including the importance of passing the 1990 Clean Air Act. Since 2003, he has served as the Editor-in-Chief of Environmental Science and Technology, a leading journal in environmental science and engineering. He chaired the Board of Scientific Counselors for the Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development from 2000-2004; and recently served on the EPA Science Advisory Board and the National Advisory Environmental Health Sciences council for NIEHS (2007-2011). In 2010, Schnoor received the Simon W. Freese Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers and the Athalie Richardson Irvine Clarke Prize for his research and international leadership on water sustainability. In 2013, he has been honored as an Einstein Professor by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Jerry’s research interests include environmental observatories, water quality modeling, global change and sustainability, and phytoremediation.