Seminar examines Middle East water challenges

UC Irvine hosts a three-day conference this week on groundwater in the Middle East and how that supply may be affected by climate change.

“Groundwater and Climate Change in the Middle East: Next Threat or Opportunity for Cooperation?” takes place Friday through Sunday at the campus’ Beckman Center and will “bring experts together to analyze the hydrological challenges in the region, explore avenues for peace-building and tackle Israeli and Palestinian/Arab water issues,” according to a UCI news release.

“The goal is to clarify the challenges of the impending hydrological crisis from a physical and social context in order to encourage creative solutions and potential opportunities for cooperation that could foster peace-building in the region,” David Feldman, professor and chairman of the planning, policy and design department at UCI, said in a prepared statement.

Hosting the event are the UCI-based Olive Tree Initiative, the Center for Unconventional Security Affairs, the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, the University of California Center for Hydrologic Modeling, and the Environment Institute.

Saturday’s lecture from 7 to 10 p.m., titled “Best Practices of Environmental Cooperation in the Middle East,” is the only public event.

To reserve a spot or for more information, contact Daniel Wehrenfennig at dwehrenf@uci.edu.

The Beckman Center is at 100 Academy Way, Irvine.

— Bradley Zint

Twitter: @bradleyzint