There are incredible challenges when it comes to water, but California is on the right track in terms of innovations taking place, said Ms. Tara Lohan, managing editor of Water Deeply, during her keynote discussion at our inaugural Water Conference. The discussion was moderated by Ms. Jennifer Faust, executive director of the Pacific Council.

"One thing that sets California apart from other places is its declaration that water is a human right," said Lohan. "It makes a big difference when it comes to policy-making priorities. The silver lining of the drought was that it brought all these important conversations about water to the forefront.

"I hope it won’t take more Flint, Michigans and droughts to keep the water conversation going, but the reality is that those types of events are usually what forces us to come up with creative solutions. We should also be involving polluters and large consumers in conversations about water as well."

Watch the entire conversation below:

____________________

Our inaugural Water Conference was presented in partnership with O’Melveny & Myers LLP as part of the Pacific Council’s Global Water Scarcity Project, which connects the dots between California’s water scarcity challenges and international issues of trade, energy, politics, and security. Read about the insights from the conference's panel sessions and watch experts discuss water scarcity challenges and solutions during the conference's TED-style talks. Check out photos from this conference on our Flickr page.

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the speaker and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.