Le treizième congrès de l’International Water Resources Association (IWRA) se tiendra à Montpellier.

Appel à communication en cours jusqu’au 31 mars 2007

Extrait de la présentation en ligne :

"The interactions between water resources and global change are numerous and complex. Much is at stake for the future. The global change concept is made of three interdependent fields :

1. The intrinsic natural variability of the environment is a permanent characteristic today as it has been in the near and the distant past. Water is a key player in this variability, acting all over the Earth’s surface as a medium of matter transport, a sculptor of landscapes and a source of life and evolution.

2. The impact of human societies that modify their environment to their needs, particularly for crop and animal production in order to secure their food supplies. The evaluation and the integrated management of water resources represent decisive factors in these vital priorities for humanity.

3. Current climate change, visible since approximately one century ago, and its predominantly anthropological origins today receive general consensus from the scientifi c community. Global warming, a premier instance of global change, is strongly impacting the extent of glacier and snow cover ; it also has a probable effect on precipitation and water flow regimes ; and on the frequency and intensity of extreme events such as floods and droughts".

À signaler plus particulièrement parmi les huit grands thèmes du congrès :

"2. TOWARDS THE FUTURE : WATER RESOURCES AND GLOBAL CHANGES :
- Implications of assuring water, energy and food security
- Impacts of trade and globalisation on the water sector
- Technological development (biotechnology, desalination, etc.)
- Population growth, urbanisation and economic development
- Information and communication revolution
- Human development, economic changes and water
- Urbanisation, megacities, towns and rural areas
- Expanding slums and informal sectors

3. CLIMATE CHANGE AND DISASTERS
- Post-2007 IPCC Report : implications for the water sector
- Linking climatology, hydrology and water resources management
- How good is our knowledge base ?
- How to manage water under increasing climatic fluctuations
- Earthquakes, cyclones, hurricanes and tsunamis
- Forced migration

4. DEVELOPMENT OF WATER RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE
- Food security, irrigation, food trade and markets
- Urban infrastructure
- Data, monitoring and information technology
- Risk management : linking structural and non-structural approaches for flood and drought management
- Environmental investments"
http://wwc2008.msem.univ-montp2.fr/index.php ?page=home