In his keynote address at the 2008 Annual Conference of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association, Bob Sandford elaborated on why more and more thoughtful people are concerned that climate change, in combination with a number of contributing environmental circumstances, is poised to create a perfect storm of economic, social and political consequeces.

Follow the Water

Bob Sandford told his BCWWA audience that "If we want to survive as a prosperous society we have to be brutally honest with ourselves about our current circumstances. That is the only way we can break up the current alignment of converging threats. Being honest with ourselves leads us directly and without halt into the domain of water management. Climate change mitigation is about carbon. Climate change adaptation is about water. Follow the water."

He also discussed the relationship between land and water: "There are many among us who understand that land, water and climate are reflections of one another. By managing one, we are in effect managing the others. Intact ecosystems slow and moderate the impacts of climate change. Different types of landscapes and ecosystems retain, purify and release water at different rates. For that reason alone, we need to take landuse impacts seriously."

To read the complete article by Bob Sandford, click on this link to Climate science and politics in an age of change.

About Bob Sandford

Bob Sandford is the Canadian Chair of the United Nations International 'Water for Life' Decade, and the Director of the Western Watersheds Climate Research Collaborative. Bob also sits on the Executive Committee for the Alberta Water Research Institute. His full biography is available on his website: www.rwsandford.ca

Posted July 2008

Originally published in the Summer 2008 issue of Watermark Magazine, the official publication of the British Columbia Water & Waste Association (BCWWA). Watermark is published four times per year: Spring, Summer, Fall and Winter.