Hydroenergy & Climate Change Workshop
Buenos Aires, Argentina | July 29, 2014
An activity of the project
"Advancing Good Practices in Building Interdisciplinarity: Moving Towards User-Oriented Science" supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
Marcelo Saguier and Andrea Gerlak, co-principal investigators
This work was carried out with the aid of a grant from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI)
CRN3036 which is supported by the US National Science Foundation (Grant GEO-1128040).
Uruguay River Basin
The Uruguay River basin -- which comprises portions of Uruguay, Argentina, and Brazil -- is the focus for this project. Map source: UNESCO
Workshop Overview
REPORT & AGENDA (pdf)
Introduction
A group of some 20 academic researchers, public water officials, and representatives of several nongovernmental organizations (see photo above) convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July 2014 to participate in the workshop, Hydroenergy and Climate Change.
The workshop is the first of several networking meetings to be held under the auspices of the project, "Advancing Good Practices in Building Interdisciplinarity: Moving Towards User-Oriented Science," supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI).
Goals
The goal of this initial workshop was to identify and frame global change research questions in the context of hydropower development and water-energy futures in South America.
Presentations & Discussions
Three of of the participants (Celio Bermann, Victor Pochat, and Andrea Gerlak) presented talks (see below), providing background for the workshop discussions on hydropower development and climate change in South America with particular attention to the Uruguay River.
They engaged in activities to formulate disciplinary and interdisciplinary research questions to contribute to greater interdisciplinary research for global environmental change.
Outcomes
As a result of the workshop, a collaborative network among the participants was created.
The workshop is the first activity of a three-year joint research project managed by the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy at the University of Arizona (Andrea Gerlak, co-PI), and the Department of International Relations of FLACSO/Argentina – Latin American School of Social Sciences (Marcelo Saguier, co-PI) and funded by the IAI.
Future Activities
The Buenos Aires workshop established a collaborative network of individuals to continue to work on these topics. Future activities include:
- 2015 – Paper presentation at ISA convention, New Orleans
- 2015 – Workshop in Argentina with the presence of stakeholders (date to be confirmed)
- 2016 – Workshop in Arizona (date to be confirmed)
- More Information
For additional information about the project, see the blog hidropolitica.wordpress.com .
Presentations
Hydroenergia y Cambio Climatico by Marcelo Saguier
Hydropower Development and the Uruguay River Case by Celio Bermann
Hydropower Development and the Uruguay River Case by Victor Pochat
Interdisciplinary Work for Global Environmental Change by Andrea Gerlak
Project Blog
Principle Investigators
Andrea Gerlak, Udall Center visiting assistant professor and director of academic development with the International Studies Association
Marcelo Saguier, research fellow at Argentina’s National Science and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and senior researcher at the Department of International Relations of the Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO) in Buenos Aires
Network Members
Celio Bermann, Universidad de Sao Paul, Brazil
Maximiliano Bertoni, Salto Grande Dam (Complejo Hidroeléctrico de Salto Grande)
Fernando Brunstein, architect, Argentina
Silvina Carrizo, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
Victor Cussac, Universidad Nacional del Comahue, Argentina
Marco Aurelio dos Santos, Universidad Federal de Río de Janeiro, Brazil
Alcides Faria, institutional organizer, Brazil
Carlos Fulco, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina
Andrea Gerlak (project co-PI), University of Arizona, USA
Kathleen Hancock, University of California, San Diego, USA
Robin Larsimont, Inst. de Ciencias Sociales y Humanas, Mendoza, & Univ. de Buenos Aires
Facundo Martín, National University of Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina
Lucía Mochi, Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Argentina
Leonardo Orlando, Sciences Po Paris and National University of Rosario, Argentina
Victor Pochat, UNESCO (ret.), Argentina
Diego Rodríguez, attorney, Argentina
Héctor Roncati, Yacyretá Binational Dam, Argentina
Marcelo Saguier (project co-PI), Latin American Sch. of Social Sciences (FLACSO), Argentina
Elisangela Soldatelli, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Advisory Group
Ken Conca, American University, USA
Enrique Leff, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México
Maria Silvia Muylaert, Instituto Virtual Internacional de Mudanças Globais, Brasil
Patricia Pinho, Centre for Earth System Science, National Inst. for Space Research, Brasil
Christopher Scott, University of Arizona, USA
Cecilia Tortajada, International Water Resources Association
PARTICIPANTS Hydroenergy and Climate Change workshop convened in Buenos Aires, Argentina, July 29, 2014 Back row (l to r): Fernando Brunstein - Victor Pochat - Victor Cussac - Marcelo Saguier (project co-PI) - Robin Larsimont Front row standing (l to r): Marco Aurelio Dos Santos - Silvina Carrizo - Leonardo Orlando - Diego Rodríguez - Carlos Fulco - Kathleen Hancock - Facundo Martín - Andrea Gerlak (project co-PI) - Alcides Faria Front kneeling: Maximiliano Bertoni (left) and Héctor Roncati Participants or network members not shown: Celio Bermann - Lucía Mochi - Elma Montaña - Elisangela Soldatelli - Oscar Thomas - Holm Thiessen