We are in the middle of the hottest year ever recorded in the United States. The Midwest is baking, crops in our nation’s “breadbasket” are burning and we face a nationwide forecast of extended droughts.
Luckily, here in relatively moist North Carolina we have avoided the nationwide roast.
Not so fast. Look back only four years and you will find one of the state’s worst droughts on record. We made national headlines, hitting the highest drought rating on the scale in nearly every single N.C. county. At the time, future droughts were considered both likely and potentially devastating, but four years later, water scarcity seems far removed.
UNC recently committed itself to confronting global and local water issues like these. The two-year UNC pan-campus theme ““Water In Our World”:http://watertheme.unc.edu/” will raise awareness of water issues, support water-related research and establish lasting initiatives.
Our commitment to water challenges will begin in our own backyard.
UNC will be working with Orange Water and Sewer Authority to improve water usage in Orange Country. Interdisciplinary water-related courses, guest speakers and water-themed events will offer opportunities for impact.
