In this episode of Riverside Chats, Quentin catches up with a former colleague of his, Dr Pamela Katic. Pamela is the Associate Professor in Economics at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich. Pamela has travelled extensively, conducting field research in remote locations within the Amazon and in Yukon, Canada. In their chat by the river Thames in London, Pamela discussed the complex water security issues facing remote Indigenous communities, as well as their unique perspectives on the connection between the natural environment and mental health. Pamela also discusses some of the pitfalls of current irrigation technologies and practices and how they can become more effective if we better understand the broader ecosystems that they’re operating within.

This podcast was edited by Michael Migali and executive produced by Quentin Grafton, Convenor of the Water Justice Hub at the Australian National University. This episode's hosts are Quentin Grafton and Safa Fanaian. Music by Serge Pavkin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quentin Grafton is in Glasgow, Scotland, catching up with two prominent academics within the water space, Professor Cecilia Tortajada and Professor Asit Biswas. Professor Tortajada is from the School of Social and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Glasgow, she is a member of the OECD Initiative on Water Governance and has twice received the Research Excellence Award from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Professor Biswas, a ‘Distinguished Visiting Professor,’ also from the University of Glasgow, has served as a senior public official in Canada, where he received the “Person of the Year” award from the Canadian Prime Minister. Cecilia and Asit discuss the challenges of international and domestic institutions and why inefficient practices still prevail despite not delivering results. They highlight the importance of pragmatism over dogma, separating clashing mandates within institutions to create a system of checks and balances, creating models to fit reality rather than fitting reality into the ‘model’ and for policy makers in offices to experience the reality of the field for themselves.

This podcast was edited by Michael Migali and executive produced by Quentin Grafton, Convenor of the Water Justice Hub at the Australian National University. This episode's hosts are Quentin Grafton and Safa Fanaian. Music by Serge Pavkin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode of Riverside Chats, Quentin Grafton speaks with David Hannah, who is a Professor of Hydrology at the University of Birmingham. Professor Hannah is also the Director of the Birmingham Institute for Sustainability and Climate Action and he holds a UNESCO chair in water science. David’s work aims to understand how the water cycle works, how it’s evolving as a result of a changing climate and then using that knowledge to drive meaningful change. David describes how global warming speeds up the global water cycle, which leads to more extreme floods and droughts. He also discusses his fascinating field work in the Himalayas, blending local knowledge and new technologies to help local populations adapt to their evolving natural environment.

This podcast was edited by Michael Migali and executive produced by Quentin Grafton, Convenor of the Water Justice Hub at the Australian National University. This episode's hosts are Quentin Grafton and Safa Fanaian. Music by Serge Pavkin.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.