Water is a Master Variable: Solving for Resilience in the Modern Era
Fred Boltz has been at the cutting edge of conservation and climate change for two decades. From remote villages in Madagascar to the leadership of conservation NGOs and development foundations, he has seen the benefits of conservation and the challenges of change from the ground up. We are excited to have him share his vision of the future with us.
— Lee Hannah, Bren School Adjunct Faculty
ABSTRACT
Resilience is increasingly recognized as an imperative for any prospect of sustainable development, as it concerns our ability to sustain human well-being and progress under the Earth system and societal changes that we face now and into the future. Resilience requires that we design and manage human systems for persistence under disruption, for adaptation to novel conditions and, critically, for transformation to a new state and function when current states cannot be maintained.
Water is an essential and defining element in human and natural systems. Shifting patterns of water in space and time will define key pathways and boundaries for their development and resilience. Water can reveal pathways to avoid collapse of coupled human systems under change and to enable persistence, adaptation and transformation to preferred futures. A coherent approach to solving for the resilience of human systems may be found by basing our designs on water.
Dr. Boltz leads efforts to advance the science and practice of water management for natural and human system resilience. His presentation will explore the science and articulate how science (and scientists!) can effectively inform and drive progress towards a sustainable and resilient future for humanity and the Earth system we rely upon.
BIO
Dr. Fred Boltz heads Resolute Development Solutions, an advisory firm specialized in the design, execution, and adaptive management of conservation and development programs. Among his current projects, Fred serves as Water Lead for the Global Center on Adaptation, a global initiative to accelerate climate change adaptation. He has 30+ years of international development experience, including 9 years of fieldwork in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Fred formerly served in the leadership team of The Rockefeller Foundation as Managing Director of the environment program. Earlier, he served as Conservation International’s head of conservation strategy and practice, international policy, and climate change lead. He holds a PhD in natural resource economics from the University of Florida and a BA in China studies from Duke University.
Special thanks to the Sustainable Water Markets Fellowship Program for their support of this seminar.