I am excited about a new initiative called “Global Groundwater Sustainability: A call to action” that was first drafted at the recent Chapman conference in Valencia, Spain. Overall, we are a global group of scientists calling for action to ensure groundwater benefits society now and into the future, and hope that you would like to join us by signing.
You can see the statement, list of signatories and and sign on groundwaterstatement.org. We already have over 80 signatures from ~20 countries with representatives from the major international groundwater organizations (IAH, NGWA, IGRAC, IWMI etc.) and leading academics and practitioners. As a global group of scientists, practitioners and experts in groundwater and related fields, we call for action to international and national governmental and non-governmental agencies, development organizations, corporations, decision-makers and scientists on three action items:
- Action Item 1: Put the spotlight on global groundwater sustainability
- Action item 2: Manage and govern groundwater sustainability from local to global scales
- Action item 3: Invest in groundwater governance and management
Please sign and distribute in a timely fashion since we are preparing for press releases likely in December. We humbly recognize that many of you, influential actors in the science and policy of groundwater sustainability, were not able to be present for the drafting of the above statement but we hope that you will support this initiative since we recognize the importance of needing to act as a group of groundwater scientists and practitioners including diverse voices from across the world.
Please share widely by email to your personal networks as well as via blogs and social media using #groundwaterstatement. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas on how to spread the word, please contact Tom Gleeson tgleeson@uvic.ca .
We apologize for cross-posting but hope you are interested in joining this important initiative.
Barry McPeake
Hi Tom,
I heard your interview on CBC this morning. One of the points that you emphasized was the importance of water licensing. Pacific GeoTech Systems located here in Victoria has delivered water licensing and permitting systems for government regulatory bodies in both BC and Manitoba. I’d be interested in your thoughts about the characteristics of licensing and permitting that you believe are most important. Perhaps we could have a coffee (or tea) discussion at your convenience.