Peter Gleick

Dr. Peter Gleick is a leading scientist, innovator, and communicator on global water and climate issues. He co-founded the Pacific Institute in Oakland, one of the most innovative, independent non-governmental organizations addressing the connections between the environment and global sustainability.

Dr. Gleick’s work has redefined water from the realm of engineers to the world of sustainability, human rights, and integrated thinking. Gleick pioneered the concept of the “soft path for water,” developed the idea of “peak water,” and has written about the need for a “local water movement.” Among many other honors, Gleick received the prestigious MacArthur “genius” Fellowship, the U.S. Water Prize, and has been named “a visionary on the environment” by the BBC. He was elected in 2006 to the U.S. National Academy of Sciences. In 2018 he was awarded the Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. In 2023 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Gleick is the author/editor of many scientific papers and books, including The World's Water series, Bottled and Sold: The Story Behind Our Obsession with Bottled Water (Island Press, Washington), A 21st Century U.S. Water Policy (Oxford University Press, New York), and most recently, the new book The Three Ages of Water (PublicAffairs/Hachette 2023).