Each year climate negotiators gather for the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties, or COP, to discuss how to address climate change. But how does science inform climate policy? Is climate policy actually based in science? Should technical professionals become involved in climate policy? If so, how?

In this episode of ClimateReady, we bring in two people neck deep in climate and water policy despite having largely technical backgrounds. AGWA’s Coordinator, Dr. John Matthews, interviews the Director of IUCN’s Global Water Program, Dr. James Dalton, about the need for technical perspectives in the world of policy. Together, a biologist and an engineer discuss the challenges of entering a fast-paced arena that sometimes requires compromise and generalizations and the means by which interested (especially young) professionals can enter the fray.

Following their conversation, we hear a “Postcard from the Future” that takes us to Beijing in 2050. Danielle Neighbour of the China Environment Forum at the Wilson Center highlights the benefits of coordinated water recycling for addressing water security in urban and rural settings.

You can learn more about IUCN's Global Water Program at https://www.iucn.org/theme/water and the China Environment Forum at https://www.wilsoncenter.org/program/china-environment-forum.