Water & Civilization is an online conversation on the history (and future) of water and civilization, featuring Oxford researcher Giulio Boccaletti, author of Water, A Biography, along with Kamanamaikalani Beamer, Ernie Lau, and Kapua‘ala Sproat.

The distribution of water has shaped the development of human societies, from ancient Mesopotamia to modern Hawai‘i. Managed sustainably and equitably, water underpins healthy ecosystems and economies. Mismanagement and the lack of water, by contrast, has brought famine, war, and social collapse. In an era of warming and scarcity, understanding our complex relationships to water is more important than ever.
In this wide-ranging conversation—across oceans and millennia and at the intersections of Western Civ, Hawaiian knowledge, environmental justice, social justice, geopolitics, and public health—our panelists will discuss how water has created the world we know and what must be done to manage it safely, fairly, and sustainably going forward.

Brought to you by the UH Better Tomorrow Speaker Series in partnership with the Hawai‘i Book and Music Festival.

The Better Tomorrow Speaker Series is a joint venture of the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, the Hawai‘i Community Foundation, and Kamehameha Schools. Series sponsors also include the College of Social Sciences, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Scholars Strategy Network, and the William S. Richardson School of Law.