Water security perspectives to unveil water conflict complexities - lecture by Dr. Nikolas Galli

Dr. Galli’s lecture explores stories and research on the challenge to find systematic representations of water conflicts basing on the concept of water security. How can quantitative assessments of water availability, water use, and water scarcity fit into the same framework as notions on socio-economic and cultural importance of water, and what can be their value added in better understanding water conflicts? These matters are discussed relying on case studies of different conflict dynamics in and around the Lake Chad Basins, and urban conflicts in Central America.

Recommended Readings:

Galli, N., Dell’Angelo, J., Epifani, I., Chiarelli, D. D., & Rulli, M. C. (2022). Socio-hydrological features of armed conflicts in the Lake Chad Basin. Nature Sustainability, 5(10), 843–852.

Sardo, M., Epifani, I., D’Odorico, P., Galli, N., & Rulli, M. C. (2023). Exploring the water–food nexus reveals the interlinkages with urban human conflicts in Central America. Nature Water, 1(4), 348–358.

You can register for this session here.

0.5 ECTS credits after participation to more than 80% of the sessions and engagement with assigned readings

About the speaker

Nikolas Galli received his MSc degree in Environmental and Land Planning Engineering in 2019 at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). He then spent six months in Paraguay, where he worked on mapping water resources and participative planning of rural-urban development in the Chaco area. He is now a postdoc in the Glob3science group at Politecnico di Milano, after obtaining his PhD in February 2023, with a thesis on the use of water scarcity metrics to explore conflictual instances of water use and design synergistic water use strategies. His main research interest are agro-hydrological modeling of water-energy-food nexus-based problems and solutions, conflictual aspects of water resources availability and management, and the public health implications of unsustainable food system practices, including deforestation, forest fragmentation, the livestock revolution and agricultural intensification.

This webinar is the opening session of the Water Security & Justice webinar series that takes place between 21 February and 1 May. Please visit this page to see more information about the series and the full program.