Join us on World Wetlands Day. On this annual international day of significance, wetlands groups across the globe commemorate the February 2, 1971 adoption of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands.

"From the age of carbon to the age of water - the role of wetlands."

with Ania Grobicki, Deputy Secretary General, RAMSAR Secretariat, Switzerland

We are currently living in the age of carbon: it provides the infrastructure of living creatures, the building blocks of life. On the other hand, water is the sustaining flow that supports life. But our understanding of the vital role of water is still in its infancy, and the agreements, laws and policies governing water are equally weak. We need to realise that at the same time as carbon emissions are warming the planet, the global water cycle and local water cycles are changing and speeding up. The land masses are losing water, and wetlands are being lost and degraded, while atmospheric moisture and sea levels are rising. Wetlands provide the vital link, wherever the water meets the land. In many places, wetlands are at risk either from human decisions or from climate change. We need to safeguard the water that sustains our economies, in terms of drinking water supply, irrigation for agriculture, water for industrial processes and energy generation. And we also need to safeguard the water that sustains nature, its glorious biodiversity, and its complex functions and processes which are essential for life on this planet.

In addition to Dr. Grobicki's lecture, we invite you to arrive early to browse student posters that will be displayed outside the lecture theatre. We are also excited to announce that the Waterloo Aboriginal Education Centre will offer an opening welcome to the lecture.

Parking will be provided in Lot Q.