Peter Gleick Explores the Ages of Water at WRRC Webinar
On March 4, 2025, Peter Gleick, Co-founder, President Emeritus, and Senior Fellow of the Pacific Institute in Oakland, California, presented a WRRC Water Webinar on his book, The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future, the current state of the water world, and the many water challenges and crises facing us. Based on his extensive research, Gleick’s presentation outlined three distinct ages of water: 1) the creation age of the universe and solar system, 2) the age of humans, in which we have manipulated hydrologic systems for human benefit and now face crises in our ecosystem, and 3) the age of the future, which could be apocalyptic or positive, depending on our ability to adopt a technological and social shift toward sustainability. Gleick is a leading scientist, innovator, and communicator on water and climate issues, and was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization in 1983.