Michal Kravcik

Author, New Water Paradigm and Founder, People and Water

Michal Kravčík is an acclaimed Slovak water scientist, Goldman environmental award recipient, ASHOKA fellow, and co-author of A New Water Paradigm: Water for the Recovery of the Climate, which emphasizes hydrologic cycles in addressing climate change and resilience. He is a recent founder of the Water Holistic Company, Ltd., and chairman of Slovakia’s NGO People and Water awarded the Democracy and Civil Society Development Prize. His Blue Alternative projects saved several villages destined for dam construction evacuation, demonstrating that ecosystems can produce water several times more efficiently than dams at 20% of the cost. In response to the historic 2010 floods in Slovakia, he spearheaded massive flood and drought prevention efforts to revitalize 488 townships, rehydrating their watersheds. Kravčík coordinated the Green Restoration Program policy for the Košice Region of Slovakia, approved by the regional parliament in 2021. He has attracted media and academic interest in the USA, Japan, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, UK, Sweden, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Kazakhstan, Estonia, France, Hungary, Greece, Cyprus, South Korea, India, Iran, Australia, and Poland. As he points out, integrated watershed, forest, and wetland restoration will benefit both industry and agriculture, all urban and rural regions, global North and South. Even if we reverse greenhouse gas emissions, he notes, this will not stop climate change unless we change how we manage water. In addition to his work implementing better water management in regions around the world, he has authored a Global Action Plan for the Restoration of Natural Water Cycles and Climate. He continues to engage scientists and policymakers to adopt these strategies.