Science Center: From rain to drop: Water is a concern for everyone

Last summer, with soaring temperatures and less rain, we faced the fact that Flanders was vulnerable to water scarcity. Global warming is adding more: the pressure on our water supply will increase in the coming years.

In the run-up to World Water Day (March 22), we ask Jonas Limbrechts and Jan Stais (ecologists / biologists at Center for Global Change Ecology, UAntwerp) to identify challenges in terms of water use and water management. They invite everyone to reflect on the difficult dilemmas that can arise with severe or persistent water shortages. Are our streams completely dry? Is there still water coming out of the tap? How can we proactively ensure that droughts are less likely to lead to water scarcity? How can we better manage water in times of floods so that it can be used in summer to cope with shortages? What can agriculture – be it a victim or part of the solution – to combat water scarcity? How can we contribute to the solutions ourselves, in our densely populated urban landscapes?

Ask your questions yourself at the University of Antwerp’s Science Café (in chat or in advance via e-mail: [email protected]) and our moderator Sven Bechtal will introduce them to our climate scientists.