World Water Day 2012 (March 22nd)

I have dedicated the better part of the past 8 years (since 2004) to the scholarly analysis of applications of social sciences to the study of humans’ relationships with water. My academic research has explored a variety of ways in which we deal with water. I spend the better part of my waking hours wondering how can I improve people’s uses (and avoid misuses) and increase access to water all the while protecting water quality.

This year’s World Water Day theme is Water and Food Security. The relationship between water and food is quite an obvious one: water is an essential component of food, and access to sufficient water is necessary not only for productive purposes but even so for consumptive ones.

International World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day.

I will be writing about World Water Day on my research blog throughout March 22nd, and will be hosting a Twitter chat around my scholarly research on water governance.