International workshop Botín Foundation/Rosenberg International Forum on Managing drought and scarcity in semi-arid lands: the cases of California and Spain

This workshop will provide a venue to discuss and compare Californian and Spanish water policies, and exchange ideas and experiences about how to improve them.

California is suffering through one of the worst droughts of the last 1200 years. Spain's worst drought since 1950 occurred between 1993-95, though more recently the country has suffered regional droughts in the Eastern half of the country in 2004-2008, and in the Southeast in 2014.

In both California and Spain, agriculture is by far the largest user, and the urban, commercial and industrial sectors require reliable sources. Environmental conservation, ecosystems' restoration and the preservation of wildlife are unavoidable goals inbuilt in the Water Laws in Spain (incorporating the European Union Directives) and California (State and Federal legislation). Massive infrastructures built in the course of decades enable both states to cushion and manage current hydrological variability, isolating to a significant extent the water economy from the vagaries of climate. And yet climate change projections suggest that their climatic and hydrological regimes will undergo significant changes.

Nobody doubts that despite the remarkable means to store, produce, reclaim and transport water in both states, managing droughts and available resources will become increasingly important. Spain and California have quite different institutional frameworks to address water and environmental problems.

The Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy and the Botín Foundation, organize the international workshop "Managing drought and scarcity in semi-arid lands: the cases of California and Spain, on January 29, 2015, at Botín Foundation, Madrid (C/ Castelló 18 C).

This workshop will provide a venue to discuss and compare Californian and Spanish water policies, and exchange ideas and experiences about how to improve them.

REGISTRATION HERE

PROGRAM

09:00. Opening Ceremony.

SESSION 1: FRAMING THE SETTINGS. (Chair: Henry Vaux, University of California).

-09:15. The Waters of California and Their Management: An Overview. (Jay Lund, Universidad de California, Davis).

-09:45. The Waters of Spain and Their Management: An Overview. (Nuria Hernández-Mora, Universidad de Sevilla).

-10:15. Discussant: Identifying the Commonalities and Differences. (Richard Howitt, Universidad de California, Davis).

-10:45. Break.

SESSION 2: CHARACTERIZING THE DROUGHTS. (Chair: Alberto Garrido, Technical University of Madrid).

-11:15. Spain's Drought: Characteristics and Highlights. (Joaquín Andreu, U Politécnica València).

-11:35. California's Drought: Characteristics and Highlights. (Heather Cooley, Pacific Institute).

-11:55. Discussant: How are the Droughts Alike? How are they different? (Lucia De Stefano, U Complutense de Madrid and Botín Foundation).

-12:15. Group discussion - Lessons from the Morning.

SESSION 3: PUTTING WATER SCARCITY IN A GLOBAL CONTEXT. (Chair: Mordechai Shechter, Haifa University, Israel).

-12:45. Global Scarcity: A California Perspective. (Ariel Dinar, UC Riverside).

-13:15. Global Scarcity: A Spanish Perspective. (Alberto Garrido, U Politécnica Madrid, and Botín Foundation).

-Lunch 13:45- 15:00.

SESSION 4: RESPONDING TO DROUGHT. (Chair: Elías Fereres, IAS-CSIC & University of Cordoba).

-15:00. Lessons from the Drought: What Worked and What Didn't in California. (Richard Howitt, UC Davis).

-15:20. Lessons from the Drought: What Worked and What Didn't in Spain. (Luis Garrote - Ana Iglesias, U Politécnica Madrid).

-15:40 The Role of Groundwater in California in Coping With Scarcity. (Vice President Dan Dooley, University of California).

-16:10. The Role of Groundwater in Spain in Coping With Scarcity. (Emilio Custodio, Andrés Sahuquillo, M.Ramón Llamas, U Politécnica Catalunya, U Politécnica València; U Complutense Madrid and Water Observatory, Botín Foundation).

-16:50. Discussant: On the Basis of These Two Experiences Can the Response to Drought be Generalized or Should it Be Location Specific. (Jay Lund, UC Davis).

-17:10. Break.

SESSIONS 5: RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE FUTURE. (Chair: Dan Dooley).

-17:30. Panel Discussion (Four panelists): What listens for responding and Managing Future Droughts Emerge from the Recent Spanish and California Experience? Professor Helen Ingram, U.C. Irvine; Dr. Douglas Parker, University of California; Dr. Joan Girona, IRTA, Catalunya; Prof. Elías Fereres, IAS-CSIC & University of Cordoba

-18:20. Group Discussion.

-18:40. Adjourn.

 Noticias relacionadas

• Seminario Internacional Fundación Botín/ Rosenberg International Forum el 29 de enero de 2015 en Madrid