The Groundwater Project invites you to sit down and join John Cherry as he takes a deep dive into the crucial question, “Is groundwater important? And if so, how and why?”. In this hour-long lecture, John Cherry discusses the importance of groundwater and the different influences this resource has on the global food system, poverty, and how water insecurity is threatening world economic growth, and even political stability. The abstract outlining this lecture can be found below:
“The concurrent deterioration of freshwater, soil, forests and oceans, compounded by climate effects, has put Earth on a perilous trajectory. There are many factors behind today’s environmental crisis, including rising greenhouse gas emissions, but freshwater—and therefore groundwater which makes up 99% of freshwater—is most fundamental and urgent because it is the most basic requirement for humans, along with food. Unfortunately, there is little public or political awareness of groundwater and the capacity of the expert groundwater community in most countries to solve groundwater problems is limited. The Groundwater Project (gw-project.org) is an innovation aimed at increasing awareness and providing a framework for capacity building and problem solving, but many other innovations are urgently needed to reverse the trajectory.”
To learn more about the topics covered in this lecture and beyond please read:
- Peak water limits to freshwater withdrawal and use. (2010). P. H. Gleick and M. Palaniappan.
- The water footprint of humanity. (2012). A. Y. Hoekstra and M. M. Mekonnen.
- The drought you can’t see. (2014). M. McNutt.
- Environmental analyst Lester Brown’s book selection.
- The End of Plenty. (2015). Joel K. Bourne.
- Most big coastal cities have areas sinking faster than sea level rise. (2022). James Dinneen.
- Regenesis – Feeding a World Without Devouring the Planet. (2022). George Monbiot.
- Five-century record of climate and groundwater recharge variability in southern California. (2019). F. Manna, K. M. Walton, J. A. Cherry & B. L. Parker.
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