Dugald Clerk Lecture 2017: The resilience of Britain's water supplies in an uncertain future, London

Overview

The National Needs Assessment published in October 2016 provided a vision for the UK, recommending to government the steps and interventions required to meet the UK’s key infrastructure needs.

For the water sector, the report highlighted the need to secure supply in light of pressures from climate change and population growth. At this lecture Professor Hall will explore in more depth the challenges, risks, interdependencies and possible solutions, including how technology can help us, covering:

• The risks of water shortage in Britain have not been properly recognised. Climate change and population growth are putting pressure on water supplies
• New multi-scale modelling and simulation are providing the tools to analyse risks and appraise cost-effective responses
• Innovation in technologies (from the small scale household technologies to large-scale inter-basin transfers) and regulatory arrangements are needed to enhance the resilience of water supply systems

This event forms part of the water management strand of the ICE's Energy, Resilience & Climate Change campaign - a series of work addressing the most critical challenges facing civil engineers.

Programme

18:00 Registration and welcome refreshments

18:30 Welcome from the Chair

18:35 The resilience of Britain’s water supplies in an uncertain future
Prof Jim Hall FREng FICE – Professor of Climate and Environmental Risks, Director of the Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford.

19:20 Questions and Answers

19:40 Summation from the Chair

19:45 Close of lecture