A conference on the theme of "Water resources: a global challenge, a challenge of the century?" during the eco meetings at the University of Montpellier

[Press release] - Published on October 29, 2024 in Press Room

As part of its "eco meetings" series, the Faculty of Economics at the University of Montpellier, in partnership with its student associations, is organizing a conference on the theme: "Water resources: a global challenge, a challenge of the century?" on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, starting at 6:30 p.m., at the Faculty of Economics' Richter Campus.

Why this conference?

Today, more than ever, water is a universal and multifaceted issue. And its importance will only grow in the years and decades to come, particularly as a result of climate change, population growth, and inevitable urbanization, potentially generating risks, disasters, economic and/or social difficulties, and tensions or conflicts across the globe. How, then, can we integrate and manage the fact that the existing responses and solutions to these multiple crises must be implemented locally and require us to reconsider certain elements and foundations of the functioning of our human societies everywhere?

Speakers:

• Éric SERVAT: Director of the UNESCO International Center on Water – ICIREWARD Montpellier (International Center for Interdisciplinary Research on Water Systems Dynamics), Director of Research at IRD, Associate Professor at the University of Montpellier. He was Director of the Montpellier Observatory of Universe Sciences (OSU) from 2015 to 2024. Éric Servat is a hydrologist by training. He has taken a keen interest in the relationship between global change and water resources, first in Africa and then in the Mediterranean region. He has coordinated and directed numerous international programs, notably in partnership with UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Program and its flagship program "FRIEND-Water," which brings together more than 160 countries across all continents. He was recently appointed (July 2024) as chair of the French National Committee for UNESCO's Intergovernmental Hydrological Program.