Dr. Erica Gaddis, Senior Water Resources DirectorThe World Water Quality Alliance (WWQA) recently interviewed SWCA’s Senior Water Resources Director Erica Gaddis for its latest monthly YEMAYA newsletter. The WWQA is a global initiative dedicated to improving water quality and managing water resources effectively. In their latest YEMAYA newsletter, they highlight the importance of World Rivers Day, emphasizing the critical role rivers play in our ecosystems, economies, and communities.
This issue features an insightful interview with Dr. Erica Brown Gaddis, senior water resources director at SWCA and coordinating lead author of the Global Environment Outlook’s seventh edition (GEO-7) chapter on freshwater. Her discussion underscores the vital roles that water sector professionals play in safeguarding our water resources.
Dr. Gaddis also elaborates on the evolution of the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) reports, which assess the state and trends of the global environment and how we face a triple planetary crisis (climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution). She stresses the importance of strong partnerships among scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders in effective water resource management. She also advises young professionals to pursue diverse learning opportunities and integrate scientific and policy knowledge to drive innovation and action.
For more insights from Dr. Gaddis on her career in water resources, the critical role of the Global Environmental Outlook reports for policymaking, and the importance of collaborative efforts in water resources management, read the Q&A section below.
The below article is an excerpt from the WWQA YEMAYA monthly newsletter.
Your diverse educational and professional experiences with water resources have clearly shaped your perspective on water’s role in society. How do these experiences influence your work in water quality?
During my career, I have worked in water resources through roles in academia, government, and consulting at scales ranging from local watershed planning to state and regional policy to global assessments. These experiences have taught me that there are many different ways to contribute to the invaluable work of managing freshwater systems and water resources for human use. People choose careers in the water sector because they see the importance of water to the health of our economies, environment, and society.
The community of water professionals has multiple banks of knowledge and contributions toward solving problems. When we connect these, we find success. Academics generate new knowledge and train the next generation of water professionals. Those working in government water agencies translate information into management decisions while navigating the constraints of resources and regulations. Consultants are the workhorses of the water community, delivering projects while serving as hubs for innovation and knowledge transfer. Those working in drinking water and wastewater industries worldwide are the unsung heroes of public health by delivering clean water and ensuring wastewater is safe before discharge. And those who work in advocacy shine a light on some of our biggest challenges, propose new solutions to old problems, and hold us accountable to one another. Our best success comes when we effectively harness the contributions of all these different societal roles.
Building on those experiences, you have a long history with the Global Environment Outlook (GEO). How has GEO evolved over the years, particularly in addressing water-related challenges, and what role do you see it playing in the future of environmental policy?
Photo provided by Melchior Elsler (GEMS/Water).The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) is the flagship report series for the UN Environment Programme, reporting on the state, trends, and global environment outlook. The consultative and participatory process also assesses the effectiveness of policy responses to address environmental challenges and offers a preview of various future paths. Since working on the GEO series as a graduate student in 2005, I’ve enjoyed learning and collaborating with new and old colleagues worldwide.
Seeing how the GEO process and scope have evolved over the past 20 years has been exciting. Each GEO takes on a particular theme or framing to approach reporting on the state, trends, and outlook of the global environment. GEO-4 was framed around sustainable development, focusing the assessment on interlinkages between human well-being and the environment. GEO-5 reported on progress towards meeting internationally agreed goals. GEO-6 took a structured approach to analyzing the effectiveness of policy solutions using case studies that may be broadly applicable to a range of geographies. GEO-7 is framed around the triple planetary crises – climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – and aims to chart a path toward transformative solutions for some of the world’s largest and most complex systems.
Regardless of GEO’s framing and focus, the assessment series has always provided the most up-to-date synthesis of the data and scientific literature describing the state and trends of natural systems globally. I believe it is critical to maintain this component of GEO to ensure that policymakers can rely on the best available science and information to develop policies at all scales.
Given your unique position working on both sides, policy and science, if you could redesign the relationship between scientists and policymakers from the ground up, what fundamental principles would you establish, particularly regarding water quality management?
Managing resilient watersheds and water resources, especially during rapid change and unprecedented challenges, requires strong partnerships between scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders. It also requires a commitment to using the best available science to navigate new policy solutions through effective governance structures. Scientific studies intended to influence natural resources management should be designed in collaboration with decision-makers to ensure that the results are policy-relevant. Successful partnerships must be built between scientists and policymakers early, and to be effective and adapt to new circumstances, those connections must be renewed often.
Too often, I see research scientists conduct studies and bring the results to decision-makers at the end of the process, only to be disappointed that their work can’t be incorporated into a decision or new policy. We need to abandon the model of the scientist holding all the relevant knowledge and need to simplify the ‘answers’ to ‘persuade’ policymakers of the right action. Instead, we must recognize that the policy landscape can be as complex as the natural systems we study. And just as there are many kinds of scientists, there are many kinds of policymakers working at various levels of governance. Skilled policymakers bring their intellect and experience to solving problems. We must take the time to understand the human and natural systems’ players, drivers, constraints, and uncertainties. Only then can we design relevant scientific studies that support effective policy decisions that result in the best solutions.
Finally, as someone deeply committed to using sound science to shape environmental policy, what advice would you give to young professionals looking to make a difference in water resource management?
My first piece of advice is to be open to all learning opportunities. Seek out experiences that take you outside your comfort zone. If you come from a science background, try understanding the policy and regulatory environment. If you come from a policy or social sciences background, don’t feel intimidated by the natural sciences—dive in and ask questions. Help each other.
My second advice is to recognize and find ways to maximize your impact while using the resources available and managing the constraints of the real world. There will never be enough resources (money, people, time) to do everything in your program or project. We MUST optimize our resources and use them strategically to provide meaningful and long-term benefits to water resources and the communities that depend on them.
My third piece of advice is to break out of your silos and avoid reinventing the wheel. Before starting down a new research path or program implementation effort, ensure you understand what has been done before so that you can build on rather than replicate the work.
Finally, be the synthesizer. We need people who can connect the dots between scientific disciplines, policy ideas, and community needs. Finding new connections within all the complexity is where innovation and action begin.