New tools for environmental problems
Floods and droughts, pollution, and water rights are growing concerns across the developing world, but World Bank environmental expert Nagaraja Harshadeep is fostering innovative solutions to these urgent problems. As this year’s keynote speaker for Skidmore’s Environmental Studies Program, he will discuss “Modernizing Approaches to Address Environmental Challenges in the Developing World,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 21, in Gannett Auditorium on campus.
A leading specialist on watersheds at the World Bank for 20 years, Harshadeep has worked on projects in Africa, South Asia, and beyond. One of his reports noted that “the livelihoods of the poorest people are critically associated with access to water services,” which are urgently challenged by population growth, economic development, and climate change. His work involves making use of new tools—in satellite imaging, on-site monitoring, data sets and analysis, information mapping, and earth-systems prediction—as well as disseminating these skills and data to a wide range of stakeholders and policymakers. Using top-down and bottom-up science in close coordination, his approach seeks to “redefine the paradigm of development” for economic, social, and environmental sustainability.
Before Harshadeep’s lecture, several local environmental groups will staff information tables in the Gannett lobby. From 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., representatives from the Wilton Wildlife Preserve, Sustainable Saratoga, Hudson River Crossing Park, New York State Parks, and American Farmland Trust will answer questions about their work, including internship and volunteer opportunities.
