Peter Gleick
Encyclopedia
Dr. Peter H. Gleick is a scientist working on issues related to the environment
, economic development, and international security, with a focus on global freshwater
challenges. He works at the Pacific Institute
in Oakland
, California
, which he co-founded in 1987. In 2003 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water resources. Among the issues he has addressed are conflicts over water resources http://www.worldwater.org/conflict.html, the impacts of climate change
on water resources
, the human right to water
, and the problems of the billions of people without safe, affordable, and reliable water and sanitation
. In 2006 he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Gleick received a B.S. from Yale University
and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley
, with a focus on hydroclimatology. His dissertation was the first to model the regional impacts of climate change on water resources..
Gleick also produced some of the earliest work on the links between environmental issues, especially water and climate change, and international security
, identifying a long history of conflicts over water resources and the use of water as both a weapon and target of war.
Gleick is the editor of the biennial series on the state of the world's water, called The World's Water,http://www.islandpress.org/books/detail.html/SKU/1-59726-022-3 published by Island Press
, Washington, D.C.
, regularly provides testimony to the United States Congress
and state legislatures, and has published many scientific articles. He serves as a major source of information on water and climate issues for the media, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fresh Air
with Terry Gross
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16654226, NPR, in articles in The New Yorker
,http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023fa_fact1?currentPage=1 and many other outlets. He has also been featured in a wide range of water-related documentary films, including "Running Dry" http://www.runningdry.org/welcome.html, "Flow: For Love of Water" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149583/, accepted for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
, and "Last Call at the Oasis" (from Participant Media) http://www.participantmedia.com/films/coming_soon/last_call_at_the_oasis.php. In 2010 his book "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water" http://www.bottledandsold.org was published by Island Press.
Gleick lectures dozens of times a year on global water resource challenges and solutions, climate science and policy, and the integrity of science. In 2008, he presented the Abel Wolman
Distinguished Lecture at the United States National Academy of Sciences
. He was a 2009 Keynote Lecturer at the Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College. In 2011, Gleick received the IWRA Ven Te Chow
Memorial Award http://www.iwra.org/index.php?mainpage=236&page=243&subpage=.
He is the brother of noted author James Gleick
and editor Elizabeth Gleick.
's feature documentary Flow: For Love of Water
, and Jessica Yu
and Elise Pearlstein's 2011 feature documentary Last Call at the Oasis.
He served on the scientific advisory boards of Thirst, Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk
, and other water-related films.
Environmental science
Environmental science is an interdisciplinary academic field that integrates physical and biological sciences, to the study of the environment, and the solution of environmental problems...
, economic development, and international security, with a focus on global freshwater
Freshwater
Fresh water is naturally occurring water on the Earth's surface in ice sheets, ice caps, glaciers, bogs, ponds, lakes, rivers and streams, and underground as groundwater in aquifers and underground streams. Fresh water is generally characterized by having low concentrations of dissolved salts and...
challenges. He works at the Pacific Institute
Pacific Institute
The Pacific Institute is a non-profit research institute created in 1987 to provide independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security, with a particular focus on global and regional freshwater issues...
in Oakland
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, which he co-founded in 1987. In 2003 he was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship for his work on water resources. Among the issues he has addressed are conflicts over water resources http://www.worldwater.org/conflict.html, the impacts of climate change
Climate change
Climate change is a significant and lasting change in the statistical distribution of weather patterns over periods ranging from decades to millions of years. It may be a change in average weather conditions or the distribution of events around that average...
on water resources
Water resources
Water resources are sources of water that are useful or potentially useful. Uses of water include agricultural, industrial, household, recreational and environmental activities. Virtually all of these human uses require fresh water....
, the human right to water
Right to water
- Introduction :The number of people lacking access to safe drinking water is 884 million and more than 2.6 billion miss a basic sanitation.When taken as human right, the right to water places certain responsibilities upon governments to ensure that people can enjoy "sufficient, safe, accessible...
, and the problems of the billions of people without safe, affordable, and reliable water and sanitation
Sanitation
Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of wastes. Hazards can be either physical, microbiological, biological or chemical agents of disease. Wastes that can cause health problems are human and animal feces, solid wastes, domestic...
. In 2006 he was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences.
Gleick received a B.S. from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, with a focus on hydroclimatology. His dissertation was the first to model the regional impacts of climate change on water resources..
Gleick also produced some of the earliest work on the links between environmental issues, especially water and climate change, and international security
International security
International security consists of the measures taken by nations and international organizations, such as the United Nations, to ensure mutual survival and safety. These measures include military action and diplomatic agreements such as treaties and conventions. International and national security...
, identifying a long history of conflicts over water resources and the use of water as both a weapon and target of war.
Gleick is the editor of the biennial series on the state of the world's water, called The World's Water,http://www.islandpress.org/books/detail.html/SKU/1-59726-022-3 published by Island Press
Island press
Island Press is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, environmental publisher based in Washington, D.C., that specializes in natural history, ecology, conservation, and the built environment...
, Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, regularly provides testimony to the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
and state legislatures, and has published many scientific articles. He serves as a major source of information on water and climate issues for the media, and has been featured on CNBC, CNN, Fox Business, Fresh Air
Fresh Air
Fresh Air is an American radio talk show broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. The show is produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Its longtime host is Terry Gross. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners. The show...
with Terry Gross
Terry Gross
Terry Gross is the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, an interview format radio show produced by WHYY-FM in Philadelphia and distributed throughout the United States by National Public Radio....
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=16654226, NPR, in articles in The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
,http://www.newyorker.com/archive/2006/10/23/061023fa_fact1?currentPage=1 and many other outlets. He has also been featured in a wide range of water-related documentary films, including "Running Dry" http://www.runningdry.org/welcome.html, "Flow: For Love of Water" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1149583/, accepted for the 2008 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and "Last Call at the Oasis" (from Participant Media) http://www.participantmedia.com/films/coming_soon/last_call_at_the_oasis.php. In 2010 his book "Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water" http://www.bottledandsold.org was published by Island Press.
Gleick lectures dozens of times a year on global water resource challenges and solutions, climate science and policy, and the integrity of science. In 2008, he presented the Abel Wolman
Abel Wolman
Abel Wolman was an American inventor, scientist, professor and pioneer of modern sanitary engineering. His work in supplying clean water spanned eight decades.-Background:...
Distinguished Lecture at the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. He was a 2009 Keynote Lecturer at the Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College. In 2011, Gleick received the IWRA Ven Te Chow
Ven Te Chow
Ven Te Chow , Hangchow , China, August 14, 1919 - July 30, 1981, was an engineer and educator. He was widely recognized as a hydrologist and engineer throughout the world and acclaimed for his contributions to the science of hydrology and water resources development.He was a professor of Civil and...
Memorial Award http://www.iwra.org/index.php?mainpage=236&page=243&subpage=.
He is the brother of noted author James Gleick
James Gleick
James Gleick is an American author, journalist, and biographer, whose books explore the cultural ramifications of science and technology...
and editor Elizabeth Gleick.
Honors
- 1999 Elected Academician of the International Water Academy, Oslo, Norway.
- 2001 Named by the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as a "Visionary on the Environment" in its Essential Guide to the 21st Century. - 2001 Appointed to Water Science and Technology Board of the National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, Washington, D.C. - 2003 MacArthur Fellow "Genius Award".
- 2005 Elected Fellow of the International Water Resources Association.
- 2006 Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceThe American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
. - 2006 Elected Member of the United States National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
. - 2008 Selected to Present the Abel WolmanAbel WolmanAbel Wolman was an American inventor, scientist, professor and pioneer of modern sanitary engineering. His work in supplying clean water spanned eight decades.-Background:...
Distinguished Lecture at the United States National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, April 23, 2008, Washington, D.C. - 2008 Named by Wired Magazine as "one of 15 people the next President should listen to." Wired Magazine: The 2008 Smart List
- 2009 Keynote Lecturer at the Nobel Conference at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN. http://news.blog.gustavus.edu/2009/10/09/nobel-conference-lectures-archived-online
- 2010 Named "Visionary: A Catalyst for an Enlightened Future" in the Los Angeles Times Magazine Section, January 3, 2010.
- 2011 Winner, along with his Pacific InstitutePacific InstituteThe Pacific Institute is a non-profit research institute created in 1987 to provide independent research and policy analysis on issues at the intersection of development, environment, and security, with a particular focus on global and regional freshwater issues...
of the first U.S. Water Prize. - 2011 Winner of the IWRA Ven Te Chow Memorial Award.
Books
- Peter H. Gleick (editor), Water in Crisis: A Guide to the World's Fresh Water Resources. Oxford University Press, New York, 1993.
- Peter H. Gleick, The World's Water 1998-1999 (Volume 1): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 1998.
- Peter H. Gleick, The World's Water 2000-2001 (Volume 2): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2000.
- Peter H. Gleick and associates, The World's Water 2002-2003 (Volume 3): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2002.
- Peter H. Gleick and associates, The World's Water 2004-2005 (Volume 4): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2004.
- Peter H. Gleick and associates, The World's Water 2006-2007 (Volume 5): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2006.
- Peter H. Gleick and associates, The World's Water 2008-2009 (Volume 6); The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2008.
- Peter H. Gleick and associates, The World's Water (Volume 7): The Biennial Report on Freshwater Resources. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2011.
- Peter H. Gleick, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water. Island Press, Washington D.C., 2010 Bottled and Sold
Films
Gleick is featured in Jim Thebaut's documentaries Running Dry, Irena SalinaIrena Salina
Irena Salina was born in France and acted in French theatre before moving to New York City to study at the Actors Studio. Her first short film, See You on Monday, screened at the Hamptons International Film Festival...
's feature documentary Flow: For Love of Water
Flow: For Love of Water
Flow: For Love of Water is a 2008 documentary film directed by Irena Salina produced by Steven Starr and co-produced by Gill Holland and Yvette Tomlinson . The film features interviews with water and community activists Maude Barlow, Peter Gleick; and, scientists Ashok Gadgil, Rajendra Singh, and...
, and Jessica Yu
Jessica Yu
Jessica Lingman Yu is an American film director, writer, producer, and editor. She has worked on documentaries, dramatic films, and television shows. Yu won an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject for Breathing Lessons: The Life and Work of Mark O'Brien .-Early life:Yu graduated from Gunn...
and Elise Pearlstein's 2011 feature documentary Last Call at the Oasis.
He served on the scientific advisory boards of Thirst, Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk
Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk is an American documentary film directed by Greg MacGillivray and narrated by Robert Redford. It was released to IMAX 3D Theaters in 2008....
, and other water-related films.