Global networking, local actions

Access to clean water is in many regions of the world not a matter of course. Without taking into account the cultural, social, ecological and economic aspects of different regions, problems cannot be solved.

During the 6 th Dialogue on Science, a controversial topic was the question of whether the right to dispose of water should belong to the public or whether it can be transferred to private entities. Regarding this question, general statements could not be made. The differences between countries, and oftentimes between regions, are tremendous. Therefore, the issue should be tackled individually or as one participant put it: "Think globally, act locally".

Water is our future

A remarkable point was the finding that the problem is not a lack of water, but the fact that water is not supplied to all regions where people live. And especially in developing countries, water pollution is an issue that has been ignored up until now. Climate change, the world's rapidly growing population and increased global food demand are additional pieces of the jigsaw concerning water problems.

Exchange of experiences between generations

Roughly 120 participants from science, industry, politics and society intensively debated the problematic issue of free access to drinking water for all individuals. Most notably, over one third of the participants were young scientists from all over the globe who used this unique platform to present their projects and to establish contacts with other scientists. Presentations and results of this year's conference can be found in the documentation.

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