Spring Water Forum, taking place at McMaster Innovation Park April 27 and 29." /> Spring Water Forum, taking place at McMaster Innovation Park April 27 and 29." />

Spring Water Forum will focus on water risk, innovation and new partnerships

Garrick

Dustin Garrick, Philomathia Chair of Water Policy and an assistant professor in the Faculties of Social Sciences and Engineering, is one of the driving forces behind McMaster's Spring Water Forum. The two-day event will unite experts from a number of diverse fields at McMaster Innovation Park April 27 and 29. Community members can register for free online. 


What do farmers, corporate executives, politicians and insurance brokers have in common?

Water risk — a developing global concern fuelled by increased demand for resources and the wide-ranging impacts of extreme weather events and climate change.

How will researchers, policy analysts and entrepreneurs respond to water risk? That’s the focus of the second-annual Spring Water Forum, taking place at McMaster Innovation Park April 27 and 29.

The two-day affair was organized by the interdisciplinary McMaster Water Network and will be led by Dustin Garrick, Philomathia Chair of Water Policy and an assistant professor in the Faculties of Social Sciences and Engineering, and Chang-qing Xu, professor and graduate associate chair in the Department of Engineering Physics.

For Garrick, the global impact of water risk is real, and it’s already being felt.

As outlined in a recent study co-authored by Garrick — as well as colleagues from the University of Oxford and the international task force of the OECD and Global Water Partnership — water insecurity is already costing the global economy $500 billion per year, or roughly 1 per cent of global GDP.

The cost is primarily due to the global impacts of flooding, water shortages and unsafe drinking water. It’s a figure we can no longer afford to ignore, he explains.

“Water insecurity is a major economic drag,” says Garrick. “This is a wake-up call for us as Canadians to understand the issues and learn how to deal with them.”

The Spring Water Forum will unite experts from a number of diverse fields under one umbrella, with an overall goal of setting an agenda to tackle water insecurity. If the event can help set new priorities and offer guidance to governments, businesses and global thought leaders, mission accomplished.

“The counterpoint to risk is opportunity,” offers Garrick. “We need to offer a portfolio of solutions, and we need to work across science, policy and enterprise to do so.”

The Monday session will feature a 6 p.m. keynote address from Stuart Orr, head of water stewardship at the World Wildlife Fund, and a former member of the Global Agenda Council of the World Economic Forum.

Orr’s talk will focus on the links between economic prosperity, sustainability and water risk, including what Canadian and international businesses can do to prepare for changing environmental and financial climates.

In a recent op-ed in The Globe and Mail, “What the California drought means for Canadians,” Garrick argues that we need to first learn the language of water risk in order to understand, assess and respond to new challenges.

The keynote lecture will be followed by a panel discussion featuring a number of influential attendees, and a networking mixer designed to connect campus researchers with the greater Hamilton community.

Wednesday’s day-long program will zero-in on the evolving relationship between Canada and China, and examine how the two countries can work together in the strategic areas of water management and safety.

A pair of morning sessions will offer a closer look at specific market needs in both Canada and China. The afternoon seminars will, in turn, present a number of solutions from industry partners and technological entrepreneurs designed to address specific market needs in both countries.

The event will shine a spotlight on McMaster’s leadership in sensor technology used to monitor contaminants in wastewater and optimize treatments to improve water quality and efficiency.

“Water safety has a significant impact to society, and it’s not limited to Ontario,” says Qiyin Fang, an associate professor of Engineering Physics who is part of a McMaster research team working to commercialize water treatment.

“We’re fortunate to have the best fresh water supply compared to anywhere else in the world. Similar water treatment technology that’s being used in Ontario can be applied globally — to China, which has water issues from rapid industrialization, to India for agriculture water treatment problems, and to Africa for urban wastewater treatment challenges.”

The McMaster Water Network worked closely with community partners innovation:water and Waterlution to coordinate this year’s Spring Water Forum. The former strives to monetize commercial products and service ideas related to water, while the latter specializes in facilitating “multi-stakeholder dialogue” between young leaders, businesses and communities.

Registration for the Spring Water Forum (Monday and Wednesday) is free, and members of the community are welcome to attend.