Lecture: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge

Increasingly severe and frequent floods and droughts inevitably spur calls for higher levees, bigger drains, and longer aqueducts. But as we grapple with extreme weather, a hard truth is emerging: our development, including concrete infrastructure designed to control water, is actually exacerbating our problems. Because sooner or later, water always wins.

Join the San Mateo Public Library for a virtual talk by science journalist Erica Gies, who will introduce us to innovators in what she calls the "slow water movement" who start by asking a revolutionary question: What does water want? Using close observation, historical research, and cutting-edge science, these experts in hydrology, restoration ecology, engineering, and urban planning are already transforming our relationship with water.  

About the speaker: Erica Gies is the author of Water Always Wins: Thriving in an Age of Drought and Deluge, an award-winning independent journalist, and National Geographic Explorer who writes about water, climate change, plants, and animals for Scientific American, The New York Times, Nature, The Atlantic, and other outlets. She is based in San Francisco and Victoria, British Columbia.  

This is a virtual event. Registration is required: 

This program is coordinated by the library's Biotechnology Learning Center.