Modeling the fair transformation of water

Four early career scholars (Rossella Alba, Bich Tran, Jonatan Godinez, and Rozemarijn ter Horst) explore the multiple social and political factors influencing models and modeling waters. Their starting point is that models are far from neutral tools; their development and use are profoundly shaped by the geographical, institutional, and historical context in which they are developed, by technologies, and by the many choices made by those involved in the modeling process, e.g., modelers, commissioners, and other stakeholders (ter Horst et al. 2024). To this end, they interrogate how models are developed by whom, for whom, and with which implications for the distributions and qualities of water. Building on this initial critical interrogation of modeling, they are now turning towards exploring how models and modeling can support just water transformations. Just transformation involves situated knowledge, ad hoc local commitments, and negotiations between different worldviews, knowledges, objectives, and values. During this seminar hosted by G-EAU, they will introduce their CAT project and present the insights gained so far. In a facilitated discussion, they invite participants to share their feedback on their work and to share experiences, ideas, examples, and (novel) practices for modeling waters for just transformations.

This event will be held entirely in English. A cocktail reception will follow.