The world is changing rapidly, certainly much more rapidly than most of us realize. During the next thirty years, the world of water management is likely to change more significantly than perhaps the last three hundred years. The forces that will induce these changes, unlike in the past, will not come from the water sector but mostly from outside this sector, on which the water profession will have no, or at best, limited say or control. For the past forty years, water professionals have been saying business as usual is not the solution but they are behaving as if there is no business unusual solution. As in the past, we are proceeding with only incremental solutions. Tomorrow’s water problems cannot be solved with today’s mindset, yesterday’s knowledge-base and day before yesterday’s experience.
The lecture will cover how some areas of water management are likely to change radically over the next 20 years, and a roadmap of a new mindset needed to solve the future water problems.