Distinguished Speakers Series: "Poisoned Waters: The Tijuana River Crisis and the Future of Cross-Border Cooperation"

The San Diego World Affairs Council Presents

The Distinguished Speakers Series

 About this Program:

 For decades, the Tijuana River watershed has served as a vital ecological and community resource connecting communities on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border. Today, however, the region faces a growing environmental and public health crisis as untreated sewage, industrial pollutants, and contaminated stormwater flow through the watershed and into coastal communities.

The impacts are far-reaching. Beach closures, public health concerns, environmental degradation, economic losses, and strained cross-border relationships have affected residents, businesses, and ecosystems throughout the San Diego-Tijuana region. While the challenges are significant, they also underscore the need for innovative solutions, regional cooperation, and sustained binational engagement.

Join the San Diego World Affairs Council for a timely discussion exploring one of the most pressing transboundary issues facing our region today. Poisoned Waters: The Tijuana River Crisis and the Future of Cross-Border Cooperation will bring together leaders and experts from both sides of the border to examine the crisis from environmental, public health, community, economic, and binational perspectives.

Together, panelists will explore the root causes of the crisis, the impacts on affected communities, current efforts to address the problem, and opportunities for greater collaboration among government agencies, community organizations, researchers, and residents. The conversation will also consider what the future of cross-border cooperation can and should look like as the region works toward long-term solutions.

As San Diego and Tijuana continue to grow as an interconnected binational region, the health of the Tijuana River watershed serves as a powerful reminder that many of our greatest challenges—and opportunities—do not stop at the border.

  About the Speakers:

Serge Dedina

Serge Dedina leads the international team at WILDCOAST, which he co-founded in 2000. A former City of Imperial Beach and California State Parks Ocean Lifeguard who grew up in Imperial Beach, Serge was elected to two terms as Mayor of his hometown from 2014-2022 where he helped to lead binational efforts to address the San Diego-Tijuana border pollution crisis. For its border work, WILDCOAST is currently addressing the plague of trash and waste tires inundating the Tijuana River Valley. Serge’s innovative coastal and ocean conservation work has been reported on by the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, ABC News, CBS News, NBC News, Washington Post, BBC, NPR, Wall Street Journal, and 60 Minutes among others. In recognition of his successful conservation endeavors, Serge received the Surf Industry's Environmental Award, San Diego Zoological Society’s Conservation Medal as well as the California Coastal Commission’s “Coastal Hero” Award. He was also named a UC San Diego John Muir Fellow and honored as a Peter Benchley “Hero of the Sea.” The author of Saving the Gray Whale, Wild Sea, and Surfing the Border, Serge holds a B.A. in Political Science from UC San Diego, a M.S. in Geography from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a Ph.D in Geography from the University of Texas at Austin. 

Hernando Duran Cabrera

Hernando Durán Cabrera is a Mexican environmental engineer, academic, and public leader from Tijuana, Baja California, recognized for his extensive work in water management, environmental policy, and cross-border cooperation along the U.S.–Mexico border. Throughout his career, he has played a key role in advancing sustainable solutions to regional environmental challenges, with particular expertise in watershed management, urban sanitation, and binational water governance.

Durán has held leadership positions in both the public and nonprofit sectors, working to strengthen collaboration among government agencies, academic institutions, and community organizations. He is actively involved with Tijuana Innovadora and Tijuana Verde, where he promotes environmental stewardship, civic engagement, and innovative approaches to addressing shared challenges in the San Diego–Tijuana region.

A strong advocate for community participation in environmental decision-making, Durán has been instrumental in efforts to address the ongoing Tijuana River watershed crisis and to build greater cooperation between stakeholders on both sides of the border. His work emphasizes the importance of regional partnerships, sustainable development, and citizen engagement in creating long-term solutions to complex environmental issues.

Through his leadership, technical expertise, and commitment to binational collaboration, Hernando Durán Cabrera continues to be an influential voice in shaping the future of environmental policy and cross-border cooperation in the CaliBaja region.

Sarah Federman

Sarah Federman, an Associate Professor at the University of San Diego’s Kroc School of Peace Studies, studies the intersection of business and mass atrocity and works with students on pollution in the TJ watershed. She is the author of Corporate Reckoning: How Companies Can Atone for Historical Transgressions (MIT Press 2026). And the author of the award-winning Transformative Negotiation: Strategies for Everyday Change and Equitable Futures and the award-winning Last Train to Auschwitz: The French National Railways and the Journey to Accountability. She has also written for the Harvard Business Review and Journal of Business Ethics and testified twice before Congress concerning the responsibility of U.S. banks to respond to their slavery ties. Federman comes to this work after a decade as an international advertising executive working in over 10 countries, engaging with companies such as Google, Discovery, Bloomberg and NFL. www.sarahfederman.com

The San Diego World Affairs Council does not endorse any specific political ideology or viewpoint. As a nonpartisan organization, we are committed to presenting a wide range of perspectives to promote informed, respectful dialogue on complex global issues. The opinions expressed by speakers are their own and do not necessarily reflect those of the Council, its board, or its partners.