Water is perhaps the most unifying, vulnerable, international, and personal of all elements. Yet water is under increasing pressure, and the global water cycle is out of balance. How do we restore that balance? And how can science contribute to the local and global challenges of water pollution, water scarcity, and water security?
Prior to Robert Macfarlane’s BBC Reith Lecture (“Water: The Geography of Hope”), this afternoon is centered around the work of scientists studying water today: the questions that drive their research, the challenges they face, and the possibilities they see for the future. Contributors will share their concerns, ideas, and ambitions to build new partnerships around water.
Water is a global common good, and its future is a shared responsibility. This afternoon is an invitation to put water higher on the agenda: for the city, for the Netherlands, for Europe, and for the world. It is an opportunity to bring different perspectives into the same room, ask difficult questions, and begin conversations that can lead to new research and new partnerships.
Speakers and performers will engage in short academic talks, music, visual storytelling, and conversation about the ways we understand, use, govern, and live with water. The contributions will be woven together with visuals and live musical interventions by composer and cellist Saartje van Camp and moderator Tracy Metz.
Programme:
- A Bird’s eye perspective on the North Sea – Judy Shamoun-Baranes
- Sharing responsibility for international rivers – André Nollkaemper
- Who owns our water? Global and just water futures – Joyeeta Gupta
- Water Futures Past – Peter van Dam
- Rights of Water – Laura Burgers
- The Unknown Ocean. How do we protect the deep sea we barely understand? – Jasper de Goeij
Panel: A Water Futures agenda. Together we prioritise next steps for water. Led by Tracy Metz.
Thursday, November 17th, 2026
14:00 – 16:00 (doors open at 13:30)
Old Lutheran Church, Singel 411, Amsterdam
💡 Language: English | Free admission
⚡ Limited spots available
👇 Signup through the registration link
This event is organised by the University of Amsterdam’s Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics (IBED) and SEVEN, in collaboration with SPUI25 and SustainaLab.
Photo by Christa Romp