Water is an essential element to life. It was once abundant on our continent but these times are over. Human induced climate change and biodiversity collapse have a dramatic effect on both water availability and quality. To cope with this new reality, the European Union faces many challenges. Every summer is more concerning than the previous one. The 2022 summer was the driest for at least 500 years. During the 2023 summer, Greece was flooded by torrents of water, to the point of creating a temporary inland sea. Austria, Croatia and Slovenia faced similar extreme climatic events. It is high time for action. The announcement of the European Commission Communication on Water Resilience is a step in the right direction.

To discuss this problematic, I have the pleasure to invite you to the screening of the documentary "La Rivière" on the 21st of February from 18h30 to 21h00 in room SPAAK 07C50

Synopsis: "Between the Pyrenees and the Atlantic flow powerful rivers called ‘Gaves’. Human activity is disrupting the water cycle and the biodiversity of these rivers. Corn fields draw their waters, dams block the migration of salmons… In Dominique Marchais’s documentary – which one the Jean Vigo Prize in 2023 – men and women, scientists, fishermen, lovers of nature, extend their curious and often poetic gaze towards this fascinating world of beauty and disaster."