For the first time in history, the global demand for freshwater is overtaking its supply in many parts of the world. The U.N. predicts that by 2025, more than half of the countries in the world will be experiencing water stress or outright shortages. Lack of water can cause disease, food shortages, starvation, migrations, political conflict, and even lead to war. Models of cooperation, both historic and contemporary, show the way forward. The first half of the course details the multiple facets of the water crisis. Topics include water systems, water transfers, dams, pollution, climate change, scarcity, water conflict/cooperation, food security, and agriculture. The second half of the course describes innovative solutions: Adaptive technologies and adaptation through policy, planning, management, economic tools, and finally, human behaviors required to preserve this precious and imperiled resource. Several field trips to water/wastewater/biosolids reuse and water-energy sites will help us to better comprehend both local and international challenges and solutions.

As global population grows, so does the demand for water. Yet less than one percent of the planet’s supply is potable, and estimates suggest that 40% of humanity will not have access to clean water by 2025. Explore the complex issues surrounding this precious resource in this episode of America Abroad.

America Abroad is an award-winning documentary radio program distributed by Public Radio International (PRI) and broadcast on public radio stations nationwide. Each month, we take an in-depth look at a critical issue in international affairs and U.S. foreign policy.

To learn more visit http://www.americaabroad.org

Students learn about the human water cycle, or how humans impact the water cycle by settling down in civilizations. Specifically, they learn how people obtain, use and dispose of water. Students also learn about shortages of treated, clean and safe water and learn about ways that engineers address this issue through water conservation and graywater recycling.

Director of the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Clean Water Technologies.

Making sure the world’s population has enough drinking water is one of the biggest challenges we face today. A rapidly increasing global population, the fact that only a very small percentage of global water is available for consumption and an uneven global distribution of clean drinking water are the main problems in regard to the current global water crisis.

Professor Hilal discusses these problems and some of the possible solutions the University’s Centre for Clean Water Technologies is currently researching. He discusses advances the centre has made, such as the development of membrane technology to aid in the re-use of water.

The world-leading reputation for research that Professor Hilal has earned in the fields of membrane technology and water treatment have been formally recognized by the award of the prestigious “Kuwait Prize of Applied Science for Water Resources Development” for the year 2005. This prize is one of the highest scientific honours awarded in the Middle East for intellectual achievement. It marked the first time that the award had been made to an academic in a UK university.

Director of the University of Nottingham’s Centre for Clean Water Technologies.

Making sure the world’s population has enough drinking water is one of the biggest challenges we face today. A rapidly increasing global population, the fact that only a very small percentage of global water is available for consumption and an uneven global distribution of clean drinking water are the main problems in regard to the current global water crisis.

Professor Hilal discusses these problems and some of the possible solutions the University’s Centre for Clean Water Technologies is currently researching. He discusses advances the centre has made, such as the development of membrane technology to aid in the re-use of water.

The world-leading reputation for research that Professor Hilal has earned in the fields of membrane technology and water treatment have been formally recognized by the award of the prestigious “Kuwait Prize of Applied Science for Water Resources Development” for the year 2005. This prize is one of the highest scientific honours awarded in the Middle East for intellectual achievement. It marked the first time that the award had been made to an academic in a UK university.

With the use of famous movie clips, Michael Webber illustrates the nexus between water supplies and energy resources, the expanding reliance between them, and how the loss of one impacts the other. He builds a case for examining the challenges this poses and how to plan for mitigating the problems and conflicts that will inevitably arise. (57 minutes0