By María Belén Bascur / mariabbascur@udec.cl
/ Photographs kindly provided by CRHIAM and Pixabay
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“Water and Climate Change” was the first online conference conducted by the Water Research Center for Agriculture and Mining (CRHIAM). This conference, held on Facebook Live, continues the labor of linking CRHIAM research and work with the public, private, and academic sectors, as well as with the general society. This conference was held in commemoration of World Water Day and brought together speakers from the academic and private spheres. Talks discussed the current situation of water resources in Chile, the effects of climate change, and how these points are linked to the Sustainable Development Goals.
However, there was also space given to the importance of water in combating the pandemic. CRHIAM Director, Dr. Gladys Vidal, invited attendees to reflect on the importance of water as a human right for Chileans, in regards to both quantity and quality for all of the needs of the population. She also urged a review of the current Water Code that regulates these points.
The start of April saw the launch of the “CRHIAM 2020 Lecture Series,” the organization of which was led by Dr. Amaya Alvez, associate researcher for the center and UdeC lawyer. The first lecture centered on the human right to drinkable water in the new Chilean constitution. Alvez provided a series of recommendations for the challenges to be faced in relation to this topic and extended a call for academic research work to be considered in the public debate and to have an impact on decision making.
Through this novel outreach method, the lecture also sought to highlight new horizons that the Center is working on, such as establishing research in mining and agriculture that aligns with Industry 4.0. The aim of such research would be to promote water security in the productive sector by using automatic tools, such as in the control and analysis of data.
These points were further addressed in a plenary lecture during the “Second meeting of CRHIAM students and post-doctoral researchers.” This lecture, led by Dr. Claudio Zaror of the Faculty of Engineering at UdeC, addressed problems arising between human activities and the use of water resources, as well as how technology is an ally in facing such challenges.
It is important to mention that each of these initiatives already has more than a thousand views on Facebook, demonstrating the importance of making scientific evidence visible through social networks. This reinforces one of the primary objectives held by the CRHIAM Fondap Center, which is to contribute to Chile’s water security through the communication and sharing of scientific evidence that contributes to public policy and societal knowledge.
More information: crhiam@udec.cl
Last modified: 2 de junio de 2023
