Local Rivers, Global Currents: Climate, Water and History in Chile and British Columbia

My project is a comparative history of water development in Chile and British Columbia during the twentieth century. It explores how different societies conceptualized and responded to climatic uncertainty by comparing how Chilean and Canadian engineers involved in water infrastructure projects – namely, hydroelectric and irrigation development schemes – anticipated and dealt with extreme floods and droughts. It also explores how scientific knowledge and practices, especially within the discipline of hydrology, intersected with local, national and international politics. By exploring the parallels and contrasts of water development in North and South America, I hope to reveal 1) significant patterns in the place and role of science in water planning, particularly under climate change, and 2) unexpected convergences in the environmental histories of two regions usually treated in isolation

Faculty Supervisor:

Matthew Evenden

Student:

Partner:

Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Water; Sustainability & the Environment; Environmental Science and Technology

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: