Sierra Club Monthly Program: Sustainability of Rivers

*** NOTE LOCATION CHANGE THIS MONTH:
El Mercado, 1702 Lavaca ***

Happy Hour /food and beverages (https://www.elmercadorestaurant.com/): 6-7 pm

Socializing and informal discussions on current events: 6-7 pm

Announcements and program begin at 7 pm

PROGRAM: SERIDAS – Sustainability of Engineered Rivers in Arid Lands, with Jurgen Schmandt

Jurgen Schmandt, PhD, is professor emeritus, Lyndon Baines Johnson School of Public Affairs at UT. From 1986 to 2002 he was director of the Mitchell Center for Sustainable Development at the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC). Before coming to Texas he worked at the University of Bonn, German Academic Exchange Service, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), Harvard University and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. His areas of expertise include science and technology policy, environmental policy and water management. He co-edited with Gerald North and Judith Clarkson, The Impact of Global Warming on Texas, 2nd edition, University of Texas Press, 2011. In 2010 he published a book on HARC’s founder, George P. Mitchell and the Idea of Sustainability, Texas A&M Press. Other books and articles cover topics such as Water and Sustainable Development, Global Warming, Acid Rain, and Water Policies. Dr. Schmandt is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and Distinguished Fellow of the Houston Advanced Research Center. He has founded two non-governmental organizations, the Rio Grande/Río Bravo Coalition and the Paso del Norte Water Task Force.

Since 2014 he has been coordinating an international assessment of rivers in arid lands. Ten rivers, representing all continents, are included. Modern river engineering is just a century old. It started in two rivers: Nile and Rio Grande. British engineers closed the first Aswan Dam in 1902. The U.S. Corps of Engineers closed Elephant Dam, an hour’s drive north of El Paso, Texas, in 1916. Engineered rivers are the lifeblood of irrigated agriculture, produce electricity and supply water for industry and cities in the river basins. By now most large rivers in the world have been engineered—equipped with multiple dams, bypass canals, and distribution channels. River engineering brings large benefits to farmers, cities and the world. Major challenges for the continued sustainability of engineered rivers include reduced water supply as a result of reservoir sedimentation and climate change. Food supply for steadily growing populations may decline. SERIDAS studies these issues in order to find out how the rivers will do in the future and what needs to be done to cope with emerging challenges. The project team has been supported by the Mitchell Foundation, the Volkswagen Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation. Results will be published by Cambridge University Press in their UNESCO Hydrology Series.

Consider biking, carpooling, or taking Cap Metro (http://www.capmetro.org/planner) to the meeting. Free parking is available after 6pm on San Jacinto and nearby streets.