Workshop on Water Security

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

1644437 Cai, Ximing Water security faces scientific, technological, socio-economic, and policy and governance challenges that need to be immediately addressed through approaches that integrate across local, national, and international levels. Ensuring water security for present and future generations is becoming a formidable task, which poses tremendous research needs around the world. The U.S. and China, the two largest national economies on the planet, with many interactions, face both different and common challenges, especially those caused by urbanization, global market change, population growth, and global warming. The two countries have distinct but complementary accumulated experiences in managing water security. This workshop is jointly sponsored by NSF and the Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). The objectives are to 1) explore complementary aspects of research on water security, 2) identify research collaboration potentials for co-benefits for both countries in water resources development and management, and 3) develop joint leadership in common science and technology to enhance water security and environmental sustainability around the world. The workshop will be composed of a general session (including keynote speeches), three themes (I: Rising problems and emerging risk; II: Solutions to enhance and improve water security; III: Future collaboration research topics), and an open panel discussion. The three themes will be conveyed by speeches, discussions by group and wrap-up summaries. The deliverables to NSF and NSFC include a comprehensive report that summarizes the workshop results and outcomes, including a carefully reasoned path-forward plan, and a journal/magazine article based on the workshop results.