The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH)

Will be launched soon: The world’s fourth UNU Hub and Europe’s first water-focused UNU Hub Join us for the launch ceremony at Lund University on Nov 11 🇺🇳🤝🇸🇪

Congratulations to The City College of New York for being named the first United Nations University Hub in the United States 🇺🇸! A new United Nations University (UNU) Hub was launched on Remote-Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS) at the City College of New York (CCNY), the founding institution of The City University of New York University of New York. This Hub, in close partnership with The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) 🇺🇳, will connect CCNY to UNU’s global research and educational efforts, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), international relations, and the advancement of sustainable cities. The launch event was attended by distinguished guests, including Professor Tshilidzi Marwala チリツィ マルワラ [丸笑], Rector of UNU and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations, Ambassador Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada 🇨🇦 to the United Nations in New York and the President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Professor Vincent Boudreau, President of CCNY, and Professor Kaveh Madani, Director of UNU-INWEH. At the end of the launch ceremony, a partnership agreement was signed by Rector Marwala, and CCNY President, Professor Vincent Boudreau. Prof. Alexander Couzis, Dean of the Grove School of Engineering and Professor Reza Khanbilvardi, NOAA Chair Professor, will serve as the Executive Co-Directors of the UNU Hub at CCNY. The main office of R-SIRUS will be at the Grove School of Engineering at the CCNY's main campus while the Hub will also have satellite offices at CCNY's Division of Interdisciplinary Studies on Broadway in the Financial District of New York to maximize its reach to working professionals in addition to researchers and students. R-SIRUS will have three research clusters: 1) Emerging Technologies for Earth Monitoring and Remote Sensing of Urban Systems; 2) Climate Change Impacts on Health in Underserved Urban Communities; and Energy Innovations for Sustainable Urban Environments. It also offers a range of joint M.Sc. and Ph.D. programs with UNU to CCNY students in addition to opportunities for short training courses, internships, and certified education programs. The Policy, Advocacy, and Outreach pillar of R-SIRUS will work closely with New York City authorities and international stakeholders to develop policies that promote equitable and sustainable urban transformation. The Hub’s policy-focused activities will address environmental justice issues in underserved communities, contributing to inclusive urban planning. Led by experts from the Colin Powell School of Civic and Global Leadership at CCNY, this pillar will focus on translating scientific research into actionable policies that support resilience and sustainability in urban environments globally. Learn more about the new UNU Hub (R-SIRUS): https://lnkd.in/gzPEQpjW

#CCNY and the United Nations University (UNU) announced the first UNU Hub in the United States. Its focus, and formal name, is Remote-Sensing and Sustainable Innovations for Resilient Urban Systems (R-SIRUS). Situated at the CCNY Grove School of Engineering, this hub, in close partnership with the The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH), will connect CCNY research with the UNU's global research and educational efforts, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, international relations, and the advancement of sustainable cities. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dC2kA3q4. Pictured: UNU Rector and Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations Tshilidzi Marwala チリツィ マルワラ [丸笑] and CCNY President Vincent Boudreau sign the official Memorandum of Understanding at a ceremony in Steinman Hall. Standing, from left to right, are Rosemarie Wesson, CUNY Associate Vice Chancellor and University Vice Provost for Research; Ydanis Rodriguez, CCNY alumnus and NYC Commissioner of Transportation; Christina McElwaine, Chief Operations Officer, UNU Centre for Policy Research; Kaveh Madani, Director, UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health and CCNY Research Professor; Reza Khanbilvardi, CCNY NOAA Chair Professor of Civil Engineering and Executive Director of CUNY Remote Sensing Earth System Institute; Dee Dee Mozeleski, Senior Vice President of the Office of Institutional Advancement, Communications and External Relations, Executive Director of the Foundation for City College, and Senior Advisor to the President of City College; Juan Carlos Mercado, Dean of CCNY's Division of Interdisciplinary Studies at the Center for Worker Education; Alexander Couzis, Dean of the Grove School of Engineering and Daniel and Frances Berg Professor of Chemical Engineering; Andrew Rich, Dean of CCNY's Colin Powell School for Civic and Global Leadership. Not pictured: Bob Rae, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations.

Salt-induced land degradation continues to dominate irrigated landscapes with multidimensional impacts. I am pleased to share my new book with Prof. Sven Schubert (Lead author). The book combines knowledge about salinity problems from soil science and plant science and presents an in-depth treatment of the current scientific findings to enable plant production on saline soils. It discusses soil parameters in the context of the development of plants with salt resistance as a multigenic trait. An integrated view helps to comprehend the complicated metabolic and biophysical aspects involved in salt resistance. Findings in recent years promise to promote salt resistance significantly. The possibility of cultivating plants on so far barren land is of utmost importance regarding a fast-growing world population and an increasing need for food, feed, and regrowing resources under consideration of environmental protection. #soilsalinity #soilsodicity #saltaffectedsoils #irrigation #landdegradation #saltresistance #waterquality #magnesiumaffectedsoils Shubert, S., M. Qadir. 2024. Soil Salinity and Salt Resistance of Crop Plants. Springer Cham. 166 pp.

A Dialogue on Advancing Global Cooperation for Climate Action 🌱   We are thrilled to invite you to an important dialogue focused on enhancing global cooperation for climate action. This event will bring together experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to discuss strategies for a sustainable future.   Opening remarks by Hossein Fadaei, Head of the Secretariat, UN Environment Management Group   Panelists: - Pisupati Balakrishna, Head of Biodiversity, Land and Governance Programme, UNEP - Guy Bonvin, Deputy head of Mission - Deputy head of Regional Cooperation, Swiss Embassy to the Republic of Azerbaijan and to Turkmenistan - Sylvie Goyet, Deputy Co-ordinator / Head of Environmental Activities, OSCE - Guy Broucke, Programme Specialist, UNESCO ROSA - Natalie Gwatirisa, Youth Negotiator for the AU-EU Futures Lab Programme   Moderator: Sogol Jafarzadeh, UN and Government Relations Coordinator, The United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health (UNU-INWEH) Rapporteur: Michael Stanley-Jones,, Environmental Policy and Governance Fellow, UNU-INWEH   Join us in this crucial conversation and contribute to meaningful climate solutions. Together, we can make a difference! Find the event info and link in bio and on our website. #ClimateAction #COP29 #cop29azerbaijan

UNU-INWEH Science Talks (Online, Open to Public) Simulating Hydroclimatic Processes and Extremes with Stochastic Methods An introduction to CoSMoS (Complete Stochastic Modeling System) Speaker: Dr. Simon Michael Papalexiou, Associate Professor, UNU Hub at the University of Calgary and Storms Team Lead, UNU Sustainability Nexus AID Programme Time: 10 am EST, 6 November 2024 Event link: https://lnkd.in/gzSy2jFJ Accurately modeling hydrometeorological processes is crucial for environmental #risk assessment, requiring a deep understanding of nature’s inherent randomness. While physical models provide a robust foundation, stochastic methods offer a compelling and computationally efficient alternative for capturing this variability. However, many existing models focus on specific statistical properties, often overlooking key attributes essential for precise probabilistic simulations. In this Science Talk, Dr. Simon Papalexiou will focus on CoSMoS (Complete Stochastic Modeling System), a versatile framework that progresses from simple models to complex multisite and space-time scenarios. CoSMoS effectively replicates the probabilities and correlations of phenomena across time and space, producing detailed time series for various variables and generating fine-scale space-time simulations of storms. He will also discuss modelling challenges and future directions, highlighting how such methods can be invaluable tools for environmental scientists and engineers aiming to understand and predict the probabilistic behaviours of extreme events. The webinar will close with a Q&A session to address any questions from attendees. #webinar #sciencetalk #unuinweh

Only a few days left until the deadline 🗓️ Don’t miss this great opportunity!

UNU-INWEH Science Talks (Online, Open to Public) Transdisciplinary Approach Toward Climate-Resilient and Equitable Infrastructure Speaker: Professor Farshid Vahedifard, Lead, Resilient and Equitable Infrastructure Time: 10 am EST, 30 October 2024 Event link: https://lnkd.in/gqzG6X7Z Several federal investments globally have raised high hopes among the general public and decision-makers, primarily to strengthen the infrastructure systems with a vision of adapting to climate change and promoting environmental justice. Several studies demonstrate that disadvantaged communities are more vulnerable to the adverse effects of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate change. Hence, an equitable adaptation framework to the growing risk of extreme events is critically needed but still missing in the literature before the national infrastructure investment can achieve its goals in terms of resilience and environmental justice. In this Science Talk, Professor Farshid Vahedifard will demonstrate how to integrate engineering into a transdisciplinary platform for tackling grand challenges related to climate-resilient and #equitable infrastructure, illustrating how this approach can be employed to quantify the effects of climate-adjusted flooding on the performance of earthen levees and a levee-protected electric power network with a case study in Northern California. With the understanding that levees form a critical component of the nation’s #flood protection and water management system, he will highlight a methodological framework for incorporating environmental justice into climate adaptation planning of levees and levee-protected power grids. Coining a new #equity metric with the vision that addressing environmental justice criteria warrants prioritizing disadvantaged communities in adaptation strategies to lower the flood risk in these communities. The webinar will close with a Q&A session to address any questions from attendees. #webinar #sciencetalk #unuinweh #equity #justice #climatechange #resilience #infrastructure

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UNU-INWEH Science Talks (Online, Open to Public) Climate Change and Child Health - What do We Know in 2024? Toward an Effective, Sustainable and Equitable Childcare Solution Speaker: Dr. Daniel Hellden, Postdoctoral Scholar, UNU Hub at University of Calgary Time: 10 am EST, 23 October 2024 Event link: https://lnkd.in/gPR3uVir The world today is at least 1.1° C warmer than during pre-industrial times, with resulting changes in weather and climate extremes in every world region. Children are uniquely vulnerable to climate change. Children suffer mortality and morbidity from extreme weather events, infectious diseases, respiratory diseases and other physical and mental health issues associated with #climatechange. Also, climate change could increase disease risks by eroding the basic pillars of #health for #children, such as #nutrition, water and #sanitation and #education. However, large research gaps persist, and action on climate change from a child health perspective is lacking. In this Science Talk, Dr. Daniel Hellden will highlight the worrying concerns regarding climate change and child health, exploring what we know in 2024 toward an effective, sustainable and equitable childcare solution. The webinar will close with a Q&A session to address any questions from attendees. #webinar #sciencetalk #unuinweh