On Monday, May 27, from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., in the Aula Magna, Universitat de Barcelona (UB) will host the XII Environmental Conference organized jointly with Familia Torres and an advisory committee of experts led by Tomàs Molina. The annual event, which this year is entitled "A present with less water, what must we do to adapt to it?", will bring together a dozen specialists and activists with the aim of analyzing what strategies can allow us to manage this vital resource more efficiently and find solutions to adapt to the current drought scenario.

The conference will be inaugurated by the Rector of Universitat de Barcelona, Joan Guàrdia , and the President of Familia Torres, Miguel A. Torres. Gemma Puig, graduated in Physics from the UB and meteorologist for TV3, will be the host of the day, which will be structured around several presentations and a panel discussion.

The Secretary for Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda of the Government of Catalonia, Anna Barnadas, will present the government's efforts to move towards more efficient water management, while Elena Domene, PhD in Environmental Sciences at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), will address the current scenario of water scarcity from a global approach. 

The event will be structured in two blocks: a first block where real cases and successful strategies in the efficient management of this resource will be presented, and a second block where different economic sectors and climate activism will be given a voice to discuss how to adapt to this present with less water available.

Thus, the speakers of the first part will be Elisenda Realp, from the Climate Action and Energy Transition Area of Diputació de Barcelona, who will focus on the challenges of municipalities to face drought; Braulio Moreno, manager of SABEMSA who will present the case of the municipal company Aigües de Barberà del Vallès, and the director of the Department of Water Resources (DWR) of the government of California Karla A. Nemeth  who will participate, in video format, with the presentation "Protect, conserve, develop and manage California's water resources".

The second block will begin by giving voice to the agricultural sector by Jordi Puig, PhD in Environmental Sciences specialized in climate change and farmer, who will address strategies for adapting agriculture to climate change. Next, it will be the turn of the tourism sector: Josep M. Pla, member of the Catalan Federation of Campsites, will explain how the camping sector in Catalonia is adapting to this reduced water availability.

The subsequent round table, entitled "New vision of the future of water", will feature Núria Catalán, environmentalist and researcher at the CSIC; Dante Maschio, spokesperson for Water is Life platform; M. Teresa Vadrí, professor at the UB specialized in Environmental Law, and Marc Oliva, engineer and member of the Intercollegiate Water Observatory.

The final speaker will be German climate activist Luisa Neubauer, who will give a live streaming presentation entitled "Europe is on fire: use your voice". The event will be closed by the Deputy Vice-Rector to the Rector Ernest Abadal, Miguel A. Torres and Gemma Puig.

The XII Environmental Conference can be followed live on the UB's YouTube channel. To attend in person, you must register at jornadesambientals.com.