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Patras lecture – 22 March 2014

Patras lecture – 22 March 2014. Water Management in the Anthropocene. Peter A. Wilderer Munich , Germany. TUM Institute for Advanced Study – EASA- IoS International Expert Group on Earth System Preservation. Karl August Wittfogel ( 1896 – 1988). German – US American

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Patras lecture – 22 March 2014

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  1. Patras lecture – 22 March 2014 Water Management in the Anthropocene Peter A. Wilderer Munich, Germany TUM Institute for Advanced Study – EASA-IoSInternational Expert Group on Earth System Preservation

  2. Karl August Wittfogel (1896 – 1988) German – US American historian & sociologistbased on Max Weber & Karl Marx

  3. watermanagementspuredevolution of civilizations causes and effects: arid climate protection against flooding & drought urbanization food & water supply large scale hydraulic structures water governance

  4. goodwatergovernancerequires - knowledge - information - managementexperiences controlled by despotic system democratic system K. A. Wittfogel: Oriental Despotism A comparative Study of total Power Yale University Press, 1957 https://archive.org/details/KarlAugustWittfogel-OrientalDespotism

  5. orientaldespotism / hydraulicdespotism ruler total knowledge total power areconcentrated in the administration administration subjects primarygoal buildinghugehydraulicstructures tosecurewatersupply & agriculturalproduction

  6. feudal system monarch power isowned by nobility nobles knights vassals farmers merchants craftmen pesants serfs first installed in England after 1066 AD. by William the Conqueror primarygoal: fightingwars, expansion of wealth and power

  7. misuse of power leadstocollapse Jared Diamond US American scientists, 1937 Collapse: Howsocietieschooseto Fall orSucceed „climatechangein accordwithmisuse of power determine rise and fall of empires“ = badwatergovernance

  8. rise & fall throughclimatechange GHGemission causes anthropogenic global warming naturalimpacts 350 warm 300 CO2 , ppmv 250 200 cold before 2001

  9. what´snew: magnitude & accelleration accelleration of anthropogenicchanges of the Earth System

  10. global acceleration source: http://de.slideshare.net/owengaffney/great-acceleration

  11. anthropocen: expression of thecontemporarygeologicalara 1873 anthropozoicera Antonio Stoppani 1824-1891 Eugene Stroemer 1934-2012 Paul Crutzen (1933) 1995 Nobel Prize Chemistry 1980 anthropocen: thecurrentgeolocialepoch 2000 anthropocen: theeradominated by humankind

  12. causesof acceleration and effects advances in science & technology innovative communication populationgrowth 170 Mio 2013 yearsago 7,000,000,000 Mio 2013 yearslater 7 200 000 000 2013 yearslater 170 Mio 2013 yearsago consequences: • weneedtoomuch • weconsumetoomuch • wepollutetoomuch • wedestroytoomuch

  13. howtosolvethosetremendousproblems in virtually „no time“ ? howtosolvewater & fooddeficiencies? howto handle droughts and flooding? howcanweprevent collaps of the human civilization ?

  14. limits of grassroutsdemocracy changesyes, but not - in mybackyard theresiliencetheorysuggests - on theexpense of owninterests resistanceagainstchanges • interests of • individuals • enterprises • governments collapse

  15. isrevival of the oriental / hydraulicdespotism thesolution ?

  16. Wittfogelconsiders onlythose earntheprivilege of freedom whoarerouted in theheritage of thepast being alert forthethreats of a conflic-tornpresent and boldlyexhaustingthepossibilities of an open future

  17. whetherdemocracyorhydraulicdespotismischosen all whatcountsis goodgovernance thank´sforlistening

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