A Conversation with Dr. Peter Gleick

By Peter Gleick 22 March, 2024

There's been a dramatic increase in water conflict events. We sit down with Dr Gleick, Co-founder of the Pacific Institute, to get his thoughts on why this is, what the challenges are & how to refocus water as a source of peace

Water has been a 'trigger,' 'casualty,' or 'weapon' of violence throughout history; The Pacific's Institute's Water Conflict Chronology documents >1600 of such events
Record increase in water-related violence driven by growing populations, economies, climate change & wars; 310 international river basins lack sharing agreements
There’s opportunities to refocus water as a source of peace but need to use all the tools & every sector has a role to play as there is no single but overlapping solutions
Author: Peter Gleick
Dr. Peter Gleick is a leading scientist, innovator, and communicator on water and climate issues. He co-founded the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California in 1987, one of the most innovative, independent non-governmental research centers, creating and advancing solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges. He is currently President-emeritus and Senior Fellow at the Institute. Dr. Gleick is a MacArthur Fellow, an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2018 he was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. He received his B.S. from Yale University and an M.S. and Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Gleick is the author or editor of many scientific papers and fourteen books, including the influential series The World’s Water, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water, and A Twenty-First Century U.S. Water Policy. His most recent book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, was published in 2023 by PublicAffairs/Hachette.
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In the 1980s the Pacific Institute launched the Water Conflict Chronology database. The comprehensive database tracks and categorizes water-related violence, encompassing cases where water and water systems have either triggered conflicts, been exploited as weapons, or become targets and casualties of violence. We sat down with Dr. Peter Gleick, one of the co-founders of the Pacific Institute, to get his thoughts on the surge in water conflicts and how governments & businesses can tackle this, as well as his recent new book, “Third Age Of Water”, about a future where water brings peace, not war.

CWR: People don’t often associate water with conflict or war but they most definitely are linked. Can you give some instances where water has been the source or casualty of conflict or used as a weapon?

Peter Gleick (PG): There is a long history of violence associated with freshwater resources, going back to ancient times. The Pacific Institute maintains the Water Conflict Chronology – an open-source database of water conflicts, where water has been a “trigger,” “casualty,” or “weapon” of violence – all important but different categories.

The Water Conflict Chronology categorizes >1600 water conflicts

Water can be a trigger of conflict when water scarcity, or disputes over access and control of water are severe, as we’ve seen in recent years during droughts in Iran and India, or where water crosses international borders without effective agreements or treaties on sharing or dispute resolution. Water has also been used as a weapon or casualty of conflicts that may start for political, economic, or ideological reasons. Again, in recent years, water or water infrastructure has been intensively attacked in Yemen, Palestine, and Ukraine, or used as weapons in Syria, Iraq, and Ukraine. The Water Conflict Chronology currently categorizes over 1600 such events, by region, date, category, and source.

CWR: There’s been a record increase in water-related violence. Can you share your thoughts on why this is and the implications for humanity, economies and ecosystems?

PG: Work at the Pacific Institute with the data from the Water Conflict Chronology shows a dramatic increase in the number of events in the past two decades.

Dramatic increase in no. of water events in the past two decades

While this could partly be a reflection on improved data collection and reporting, we also believe it is a real trend, driven by growing populations and economies putting more and more pressure on limited water resources, the effects of climate change altering local water conditions and availability, and several intensive wars where water has become embroiled in the conflict, especially in the Middle East and Ukraine.

CWR: How do we change things so water means peace and not war? Is this possible when more than half of the world’s 310 international river basins lack international sharing agreements or joint river basin commissions?

PG: While there has been an increase in water-related violence there are also opportunities to refocus efforts on water as a source of peace and cooperation. 2024 is the UN’s Year of Water and Peace, and strategies for reducing water conflict should be aggressively pursued. Some of the key efforts included advancing and strengthening international agreements for water cooperation and sharing on rivers and groundwater basins that cross political borders – the idea of joint basin commissions or formal sharing agreements.

Need to refocus efforts on water as a source of peace & cooperation…

…as well as use regional tools & enforce international laws

But many of the conflicts are sub-national – they occur within nations or regions and must be addressed with different tools, such as improvements in access to safe water and sanitation for all (one of the objectives of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal #6), efforts to improve water quality to expand useable water resources and reduces the threat of water-related illnesses, and other key water sustainability practices.

International humanitarian laws of war are also important for removing water and water infrastructure from targeting and violence, but enforcement of such existing laws is currently weak. The international community must be vocal and active in enforcing laws protecting civilian infrastructure during war.

CWR: Congrats on your recently published book, “The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future”. The first two stages are clear but given all the challenges and risks, what is making you hopeful for the future?

PG: The “Third Age of Water” is my vision in my new book for a sustainable and successful future, building on the innovative and successful efforts of countries, communities, corporations, and individuals around the world already working to improve water conservation, ecosystem restoration, and access to basic human needs.

“I don’t know if we’ll move to this positive future, but I know that we CAN”

I’m hopeful for the future, as described in the book, because of both the importance of water and the growing awareness of both the problem and the solutions available to improve water efficiency and use, clean up contaminated waters, restore ecosystems, and improve water-management institutions. As I say in the book, I don’t know if we’ll move to this positive future, but I know that we CAN.

CWR: What piece of advice would you give to governments/ investors and/or businesses to solve these issues?

PG: There is a role for every sector of society to address critical water issues. The first step is to understand the nature of the different water crises facing us, to understand the role each of us plays in worsening or improving these problems, and to then act. There is no single solution, but multiple overlapping solutions that require government, individuals, and communities to act.

Every sector has a role…

…there is no single solution but multiple overlapping ones

By looking at what is working around the world, we can learn lessons for sustainable water solutions that can be applied and expanded everywhere – from cutting water waste in use and manufacturing, to protecting and guaranteeing basic human and ecosystem water needs, to managing water, energy, climate, and food in an integrated way rather than with separate institutions and approaches, and overall, by educating people about the importance and true value of water.

Additional resources

Gleick, P.H. 2023. The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future. PublicAffairs/Hachette, New York.

Gleick, P.H. and M. Shimabuku. 2023. Water-related conflicts: Definitions, data, and trends from the Water Conflict Chronology. Environmental Research Letters. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/acbb8f.

Shumilova, O. et al., 2023. Impact of the Russia-Ukraine armed conflict on water resources and water infrastructure. Nature Sustainability. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-023-01068-x

Gleick, P.H. 2023. Moving to a sustainable future for water. Nature Water. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44221-023-00091-8

Vyshnevskyi, V., S. Shevchuk, V. Komorin, Y. Oleynik, and P. Gleick. 2023. The destruction of the Kakhovka dam and its consequences. Water International. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2023.2247679

Gleick, P.H., V. Vyshnevskyi, S. Shevchuk. 2023. Rivers and Water Systems as Weapons and Casualties of the Russia-Ukraine War. Earth’s Future (American Geophysical Union). 11. https://doi.org/10.1029/2023EF003910

Gleick, P.H. 2023. The most important issue about water is not supply, but how it is used. Nature. December 14, 2023. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03899-2

Gleick, P.H. 2024. Moving to a New Age of Water. Environment: Science and Policy for Sustainable Development, 66:1, 42-45, https://doi.org/10.1080/00139157.2023.2269046

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