Charles Iceland

Charles Iceland
  • Lecturer

Contact Information

  • office Address:

    600 Jon M. Huntsman Hall
    3730 Walnut Street
    Philadelphia, PA 19104

Overview

Charles Iceland is Global Director, Water (Interim) with the World Resources Institute. In addition to overseeing the Global Water Team, Charles is implementing the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership with several European and American partner organizations. As part of this project, he and his team have developed a machine learning-based conflict prediction tool that leverages information on environmental, political, economic, social, and demographic conditions worldwide. The partnership was awarded the 2020 Luxembourg Peace Prize for Outstanding Environmental Peace.

He previously directed the Aqueduct project at WRI. With the original Aqueduct Team, he developed the concept for the Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, which maps a variety of global water risks and has become the premier online tool for global water risk assessment and prioritization. He also developed the concepts for Aqueduct Floods and Aqueduct Food. He is currently working on a new project – Global Water Watch – which will track global water availability in reservoirs and rivers in near real-time.

Charles is also a faculty member in the Master of Environmental Studies program at the University of Pennsylvania.

Charles previously partnered with several major multinational corporations, including Mondi Group, Rio Tinto, Akzo Nobel, and BC Hydro, to develop, road test, and apply an innovative methodology for assessing corporate risks and opportunities stemming from ecosystem change. Prior to that, he worked at the World Environment Center, where he developed innovative supply chain environmental management pilot programs for Alcoa, Johnson & Johnson, Dow Chemical, and General Motors. Charles has worked at the Office of the United States Trade Representative, the United States House of Representatives, and the Peterson Institute for International Economics. He also worked in the banking and finance sector for several years and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). Charles earned his undergraduate degree from Yale University and a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University.

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Teaching

Current Courses (Spring 2024)

  • LGST6470 - Bus And Governance Of Water

    Virtually every business imaginable–from oil refining to semiconductor manufacturing to cloud computing—requires copious supplies of fresh water. However, there is a fixed amount of water on earth. As climate change makes many parts of the world hotter and drier, it is increasingly important for today’s business leaders to be able to understand water challenges and to implement solutions that will enable businesses to thrive in the future. In addition to understanding and navigating water quality and quantity challenges, business leaders thinking about water operate in a highly regulated environment at the local, national, and global levels. It is therefore important to understand who the key external stakeholders—both public and private—are and how to engage with them productively. Students are not expected to have any previous experience with the water industry. This course will begin by focusing on global water risks and global, national, and local water governance. It will introduce students to how governments at many levels make and implement water policy and how business leaders need to navigate managing water risks and opportunities within that environment. It will also cover private governance and water— considering how to engage with NGOs like the World Resources Institute and the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) that operate on behalf of multiple stakeholders, including investors in this space. The course will examine the duties of corporate officers and directors in developing and implementing a firm’s water sustainability program, how major water projects are financed, and the business ethics issues surrounding “doing the right thing” in a module on water and ESG (environmental, social and governance factors). It will conclude with an “H2O Shark Tank” exercise where student groups pitch their best ideas for sustainable water solutions to a panel of potential funders, including investment banks, corporate executives, and foundation leaders.

    LGST6470001 ( Syllabus )

All Courses

  • ENVS6300 - The Future of Water

    From Wall Street to rural Sub-Saharan Africa, technology innovation to aging infrastructure-this course will explore the; impact of water and consider what future leaders need to know about the dynamics of the industry, investment and business opportunities, and water-related risk; Opportunities for water are booming around the world, in large part because of existing or looming shortages and decades of underinvestment, population growth, rapid industrialization and urbanization, pollution, and climate change. Water is the only irreplaceable natural resource on the planet. Its critical role in every aspect of the global economy, could, in fact, lead it to be the next gold or the next oil; This course will address the fundamentals of the water sector from an international perspective. The future of water will be critical to our global economic, social and political development and will likely become one of the most influential factors in business decisions for the future. Furthermore, it is essential for leaders across all sectors-from pharmaceuticals to financials, energy to agriculture-to understand how to sustainably manage and account for water resources, capitalize on new technologies, mitigate water-related risks and navigate through complex and dynamic policy and regulation. The course will engage students in high-level discussion and strategy formation, challenging them to develop creative and sustainable solutions to some of the greatest challenges facing environmental, business and water industry leaders today. Interactive sessions and projects will provide an introduction to appropriately managing, valuing and investing in water assets to create sustainable and compelling business opportunities.

  • LGST6470 - Bus and Governance of Water

    Virtually every business imaginable–from oil refining to semiconductor manufacturing to cloud computing—requires copious supplies of fresh water. However, there is a fixed amount of water on earth. As climate change makes many parts of the world hotter and drier, it is increasingly important for today’s business leaders to be able to understand water challenges and to implement solutions that will enable businesses to thrive in the future. In addition to understanding and navigating water quality and quantity challenges, business leaders thinking about water operate in a highly regulated environment at the local, national, and global levels. It is therefore important to understand who the key external stakeholders—both public and private—are and how to engage with them productively. Students are not expected to have any previous experience with the water industry. This course will begin by focusing on global water risks and global, national, and local water governance. It will introduce students to how governments at many levels make and implement water policy and how business leaders need to navigate managing water risks and opportunities within that environment. It will also cover private governance and water— considering how to engage with NGOs like the World Resources Institute and the CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) that operate on behalf of multiple stakeholders, including investors in this space. The course will examine the duties of corporate officers and directors in developing and implementing a firm’s water sustainability program, how major water projects are financed, and the business ethics issues surrounding “doing the right thing” in a module on water and ESG (environmental, social and governance factors). It will conclude with an “H2O Shark Tank” exercise where student groups pitch their best ideas for sustainable water solutions to a panel of potential funders, including investment banks, corporate executives, and foundation leaders.

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