UT Baker Center Energy and Environment Forum

Join the University of Tennessee for the next Baker Center Energy and Environment Forum, which will take place on Thursday, October 27, at 1:00 pm in the Toyota Auditorium at the Baker Center. We also have a virtual viewing option at the Zoom meeting link tiny.utk.edu/TravisWarziniackEE.

Travis Warziniack, research economist with the USDA Forest Service, will give a 45-minute presentation and then lead a discussion with participants. His talk is titled:

Vulnerability of US Water Supply to Climate Change

Abstract: This study examines trends in freshwater use and supply throughout the conterminous United States and their implications for future shortages due to socioeconomic and climate change. We focus on renewable freshwater, which includes surface and subsurface flows, and provide projections of freshwater supply and likelihood of water shortage under future scenarios. Among the most encouraging trends in water resources is the tremendous gains in water use efficiency. This decrease came despite population increases, in part due to efficiency gains in household appliances, thermoelectric power generation, and irrigated agriculture, and    structural changes within the U.S. economy that have favored less water-intensive service industries over traditional manufacturing. Both per capita water use and total water use have declined throughout the country. Nonetheless, large regions of the United States face increasing water scarcity. Droughts are increasing in frequency and duration, and there is a high amount of uncertainty in future drought characteristics. Whether these trends continue depends on future population growth, sector-specific rates of technology adaptation, and continued changes in regional climatic patterns.

Bio: Dr. Travis Warziniack studies the role nature plays in our lives – through personal connection, strong neighborhoods, and vibrant economies – and ways we can make our communities more sustainable and our economies more resilient. He is currently a research economist with the USDA Forest Service, where he leads national assessments on water and climate. He has presented his work at the White House, for chambers of commerce, and for his son’s 5th grade class.

The Baker Center Energy and Environment Forum is an opportunity for academics to share their research findings with a broad set of academics, researchers, and students from outside their own discipline but who have a common interest in environment and energy issues. For more information about the Baker Center Energy and Environment Forum visit the forum’s website: https://bakercenter.utk.edu/research/energy-and-environment/.   

Please join us for what promises to be a very interesting discussion and presentation.