Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Join David Guggenheim, program coordinator for the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and MS in Geographical Information Systems programs, as he hosts a timely discussion on how water bankruptcy is unfolding and what it means for societies, economies, agriculture, food security, and ecosystems. Today, 75% of the global population lives in water insecure regions, and more than four billion people face severe scarcity each year, with the most vulnerable communities suffering disproportionately. Panelists will offer both U.S. and global perspectives and will explore:
· how water bankruptcy manifests across scales
· its implications for urban systems, agriculture, and stressed aquifers
· the equity dimensions of bankruptcy management
· pathways such as transparent water accounting, enforceable limits, restoration of natural water capital, and justice-centered governance
· the potential for strategic water investment to advance climate resilience, food security, biodiversity, and public health
· key global policy windows – particularly within the UN system – where urgent action is possible and necessary.
Panelists include:
Glenn Patterson is a lecturer in JHU’s MS in Environmental Science and Policy program. He worked for 30 years as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, focusing on water quality, watersheds, drinking water, lakes, estuaries, and geomorphology. Patterson received his BA in biology from the University of Chicago, MS in watershed management from the University of Arizona, and PhD in watershed science from Colorado State University.
Lama Elhatow serves as a Program Coordinator and lecturer for JHU’s MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and MS in Energy Policy and Climate programs, drawing on over 15 years of environmental experience, including more than 12 years at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation as an environmental and social specialist. With expertise in climate change, water resources, and transboundary water management, she has led projects across the Middle East and North Africa, Pakistan, sub Saharan Africa, and Latin America, working on complex infrastructure such as hydropower development in Pakistan and the Benban solar park in Egypt, while also supporting IFC’s Paris Alignment efforts. She previously served as a climate policy officer for the UNFCCC’s COP negotiations from 2009–2014 and in 2022. Elhatow holds a BS and MS in engineering from the American University in Cairo and a PhD in sustainability from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Kirk Stueve is a lecturer in JHU’s MS in Geographic Information Systems and the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy programs where he draws on more than 15 years of experience leveraging the latest science and technology to grow and do more with less in the private sector. His experience includes investing in and managing land for both conservation and economic purposes in the U.S. Midwest, farming row crops, and working to develop and deliver data-driven solutions in the AgTech startup space. Stueve is a very enthusiastic practitioner of applied GIS and remote sensing for landscape ecology and landscape agronomy applications. He holds a PhD in geography from Texas A&M University and an MA in Environmental Studies and GIS from the University of Southern California.
Sustainable Solutions Series Overview
The Sustainable Solutions Speaker Series is presented by the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and the MS in Energy Policy and Climate programs at Johns Hopkins University. Each talk features scholars and practitioners working to tackle ‘wicked’ environmental, energy, and climate problems. Speakers take us through how they leverage technology, policy, the private sector, markets, research, and field work to form innovative and lasting solutions. From water insecurity to climate adaptation, natural resource conflict to energy transitions, and food insecurity to sustainable agriculture, this series features the depth and breadth of Johns Hopkins University faculty and our greater community as we work toward a sustainable future.
#WaterSecurity #WaterBankruptcy #ClimateResilience #FoodSecurity #EnvironmentalPolicy #SustainableWater #GlobalWaterCrisis #AquiferProtection #WaterJustice #ecosystemrestoration
Join David Guggenheim, program coordinator for the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and MS in Geographical Information Systems programs, as he hosts a timely discussion on how water bankruptcy is unfolding and what it means for societies, economies, agriculture, food security, and ecosystems. Today, 75% of the global population lives in water insecure regions, and more than four billion people face severe scarcity each year, with the most vulnerable communities suffering disproportionately. Panelists will offer both U.S. and global perspectives and will explore:
· how water bankruptcy manifests across scales
· its implications for urban systems, agriculture, and stressed aquifers
· the equity dimensions of bankruptcy management
· pathways such as transparent water accounting, enforceable limits, restoration of natural water capital, and justice-centered governance
· the potential for strategic water investment to advance climate resilience, food security, biodiversity, and public health
· key global policy windows – particularly within the UN system – where urgent action is possible and necessary.
Panelists include:
Glenn Patterson is a lecturer in JHU’s MS in Environmental Science and Policy program. He worked for 30 years as a hydrologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, focusing on water quality, watersheds, drinking water, lakes, estuaries, and geomorphology. Patterson received his BA in biology from the University of Chicago, MS in watershed management from the University of Arizona, and PhD in watershed science from Colorado State University.
Lama Elhatow serves as a Program Coordinator and lecturer for JHU’s MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and MS in Energy Policy and Climate programs, drawing on over 15 years of environmental experience, including more than 12 years at the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation as an environmental and social specialist. With expertise in climate change, water resources, and transboundary water management, she has led projects across the Middle East and North Africa, Pakistan, sub Saharan Africa, and Latin America, working on complex infrastructure such as hydropower development in Pakistan and the Benban solar park in Egypt, while also supporting IFC’s Paris Alignment efforts. She previously served as a climate policy officer for the UNFCCC’s COP negotiations from 2009–2014 and in 2022. Elhatow holds a BS and MS in engineering from the American University in Cairo and a PhD in sustainability from Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Kirk Stueve is a lecturer in JHU’s MS in Geographic Information Systems and the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy programs where he draws on more than 15 years of experience leveraging the latest science and technology to grow and do more with less in the private sector. His experience includes investing in and managing land for both conservation and economic purposes in the U.S. Midwest, farming row crops, and working to develop and deliver data-driven solutions in the AgTech startup space. Stueve is a very enthusiastic practitioner of applied GIS and remote sensing for landscape ecology and landscape agronomy applications. He holds a PhD in geography from Texas A&M University and an MA in Environmental Studies and GIS from the University of Southern California.
Sustainable Solutions Series Overview
The Sustainable Solutions Speaker Series is presented by the MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy and the MS in Energy Policy and Climate programs at Johns Hopkins University. Each talk features scholars and practitioners working to tackle ‘wicked’ environmental, energy, and climate problems. Speakers take us through how they leverage technology, policy, the private sector, markets, research, and field work to form innovative and lasting solutions. From water insecurity to climate adaptation, natural resource conflict to energy transitions, and food insecurity to sustainable agriculture, this series features the depth and breadth of Johns Hopkins University faculty and our greater community as we work toward a sustainable future.
#WaterSecurity #WaterBankruptcy #ClimateResilience #FoodSecurity #EnvironmentalPolicy #SustainableWater #GlobalWaterCrisis #AquiferProtection #WaterJustice #ecosystemrestoration
