‘Wicked’ questions about water crisis provoke thought at Texas State University - KXAN.com
Texas State's Meadows Center to ask "wicked" questions about water; climate change
SAN MARCOS, TX (KXAN) – Discussions about some hard to answer questions will take place at Texas State University next week. The school’s Meadows Center for Water in the Environment will be hosting a conference called “Climate Science: The Good, The Bad & The Wicked.”
One of the main topics: the impact climate change is having on Texas’ water supply.
“There’s a saying in the climate water world that if climate change is a shark, water is the teeth,” said Robert Mace Ph.D., Executive Director at the Meadows Center.
Dr. Mace said we can already feel this bite. This summer has been one of the the hottest and driest on record. “(It) worries me, you know, not only here, but out in the Hill Country and really across the state.”
The conference takes place on Thursday, September 7 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration ends on September 3 and costs $150. You can register on The Meadows Center site if you’d like to attend.
The Climate Crisis “wicked” problems
The conference will explore some challenging topics. “It’s big. It’s about complexity. It’s about wicked problems, that can’t really be solved,” said Mona Wells Ph.D., Climate Science Director with The Meadows Center.
“Wicked means it’s just multidimensional, it’s multidisciplinary, and involves politics and science and in changing people’s behaviors,” Dr. Mace said.
Dr. Wells said that climate is tied into so many aspects of our lives. “The conversations that we’re seeking to promote and acknowledge that there’s the simple solutions are not so simple,” Dr. Wells said.
Speakers at the conference include Dr. Michael Mann, a famed climatologist, as well as Earth X founder Trammell S. Crow, medical anthropologist Rose Jones and Edwards Aquifer Authority board chair Enrique Valdivia.
“We are trying to talk about things I think most people do not generally know. And when I say most people, I’m including the public, but I’m also including some of the technical experts that might be there,” Dr. Wells said.
The Water Crisis and Climate Change
Dr. Mace will speak at the conference, discussing the water crisis. “My opinion; it all comes back to water.”
With extreme droughts becoming more common, Texas is expected to feel the impacts of the water crisis in some intense ways. This summer, many springs and creeks have dried up, including Jacob’s Well.
The Meadows Center sits along the shore of Spring Lake, which is seeing some of the lowest water levels since the 1950’s, according to Dr. Mace.
“The best way to a Texan’s heart is through through water, in my opinion, maybe brisket, but water,” Dr. Mace said.
Related Knowledge Center: Climate economics
Climate change is now a driver of the world’s economy. The impact is profound:
- Catastrophic weather events — hurricanes, floods, droughts, high temperatures — are more frequent and more extreme. The cost can be measured in both the initial damage caused and the longer-term impact on the economy.
- Vulnerable communities are increasing climate-related investments, hardening infrastructure and taking other protective measures.
- Investment in carbon capture and storage technologies is increasingly rapidly.
- Governments are making investments and crafting regulations to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.
On top of all of this is the cost of uncertainty. As the Fourth National Climate Assessment, released in 2018 by the U.S. Global Change Research Program, says, “The assumption that current and future climate conditions will resemble the recent past is no longer valid.”