Pacific Institute: Research for People and the Planet

Meet Our Spring Communications Intern

Stephanie Nguyen joined the Pacific Institute in January as a Spring Communications Intern. She helps promote the Pacific Institute’s work through event announcements, social media, and outreach.

Recently, Stephanie earned a dual master’s degree in global public policy at the University of Southern California (USC) and Hong Kong University. She says she intends to work in global water security, an interest she developed after working for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as an immigration officer, where she met people immigrating for a variety of reasons including water scarcity.

In the last two years, Stephanie has traveled to Shanghai, Beijing, Hong Kong, and various parts of South East Asia for her master’s program. She says these travels renewed her interest in holistic solutions to environmental challenges. “There are so many interrelated issues in today’s environmental challenges,” she explains. “So there are no simple solutions.”

Stephanie says growing up with immigrant parents has helped her navigate different cultures. “I try to take the best from different worlds and find some synergy. Ultimately that’s what I hope to bring to my work, a sensitivity to local values. I think this is important for effective and sound policy,” she says.

When she is not contributing to communications at the Pacific Institute, Stephanie works with the USC Center for Sustainability Solutions as a research assistant focusing on water policy in Southern California.

Climate Resilience in the Urban Context: Sustainable Landscapes for Southern California Businesses

By Cora Kammeyer

Fenruary 5, 2019

Today the Pacific Institute, in collaboration with the CEO Water Mandate, California Forward, and Santa Ana Watershed Project Authority, released a new report, “Sustainable Landscapes on Commercial and Industrial Properties in the Santa Ana River Watershed,” accompanied by an interactive online map. This report represents phase one of a collective effort among the business community, public sector water managers, and other stakeholders to improve water and climate resilience through sustainable landscapes. With the release of the report, we are now launching into phase two, for which we are actively recruiting companies to participate. …»

The Private Sector as Part of the Solution to Address Water Security and Sanitation Issues in Brazil

By Giuliana Chaves Moreira

January 2, 2019

A few months after the 8^th World Water Forum (8^th WWF) in Brasilia, between November 26^th and 28^th, the Brazilian Association of Sanitary and Environmental Engineering (ABES, in the Portuguese acronym) held the first ever Rio Water Week (RWW) event in Rio de Janeiro.

The event was a second opportunity for the private sector to reaffirm its commitment to water issues and to present the results achieved by the private sector’s engagement agreed at the 8^th WWF, as well as to disseminate the private sector’s messages on water security, sanitation, and infrastructure.

On March 18, as Brazil hosted the 8^th WWF, the Brazilian National Confederation of Industry (CNI), the Brazilian Business Council for Sustainable Development (CEBDS), and the UN Global Compact Network Brazil (GCNB) had their first opportunity to amplify the business voice within the 8^th WWF as a key partner for solution delivery. The key business messages of this event were compiled into a report.

ABES invited the promoters of the 1st Water Business Day to bring the voice of the Business Sector into the agenda of the RWW. This culminated with the organization of a full side day event at RWW called “Water and Business”.

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The Fourth National Climate Assessment Has Stark Messages on Water. Here’s What it Means for U.S. Businesses.

By Cora Kammeyer

December 5, 2018

This November, the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) delivered a report to the federal government analyzing the current trends and projected impacts of climate change in the United States.

Chapter 3 of the report focuses on water. It paints a stark picture of the United States’ water future. It asserts that the changing climate presents a significant risk to the nation’s water security, which in turn poses risks to its economic vitality. It supports the adage, “If climate is the shark, water is its teeth.”

The chapter communicates three key messages about the water challenges that the country will face due to climate change. Below, I discuss those messages and what they mean for businesses who have value chains in the United States. …»

Q&A with Sarah Diringer: A Multi-benefits Approach to Water Management

Earlier this week, Pacific Institute Communications Manager Rebecca Olson sat down with Pacific Institute Senior Researcher Dr. Sarah Diringer to talk about the challenges and promises of a multiple benefits approach to water management.

Rebecca Olson: Tell me about the work you are doing at the Pacific Institute on developing a comprehensive framework to evaluate multiple benefits of water investment strategies.

Sarah Diringer: There is broad recognition that we need to invest in our man-made water systems and our natural environment in order to adapt to climate change, address population growth, and update our aging infrastructure. There are a lot of options for investing in water management, ranging from water restoration to efficiency improvements, water reuse, and stormwater capture. In addition to helping our water systems, many of these strategies can also provide important “co-benefits” or additional benefits, such as reducing greenhouse gas emissions, providing habitat, or enhancing community livability.

Public and private entities don’t always consider each of these benefits when selecting a management strategy. Over the past year, we have been working with a large group of stakeholders to develop a framework for examining multiple benefits that can help water managers and decision makers to better account for the benefits and the costs of water management decisions.

Rebecca Olson: What are the challenges to implementing a multi-benefits approach to water management? How does the framework you are developing address these challenges? …»

The Stormwater Opportunity

By Morgan Shimabuku and Sarah Diringer

October 4, 2018

Navigating around puddles that form on streets and in parking lots after a rainstorm can be a nuisance. But this water, technically known as stormwater, has the potential to become an important water supply for many Californian communities. For example, one study showed enough potential supply from stormwater in major urban and suburban centers in California to annually provide millions of gallons for the recharge of local aquifers. In addition to providing valuable water supply, effective stormwater management can help reduce local flooding and prevent trash and other pollution from getting into streams or the ocean. What’s more, many stormwater capture projects have further co-benefits, such as providing habitat, reducing urban temperatures, reducing energy use, creating community recreation spaces, and increasing property values.

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Water is a Source of Growing Tension and Violence in the Middle East

By Peter Gleick and Charles Iceland

August 27, 2018

In the hot, dry Middle East, where populations are growing rapidly and all major rivers cross political borders, water has become a focal point for escalating violence. From the foothills of the Taurus Mountains in Turkey that feed the Tigris and Euphrates rivers to the desert wadis on the southern tip of Yemen, the history of water conflicts provides a cautionary tale: When water and politics mix, and when cooperation gives way to conflict, freshwater becomes an issue of human and national security and a tool of violence.

The long history of conflict in the region is intertwined with the history of water. The earliest recorded water fight is a dispute around 2400 BC over the use of irrigation canals in the ancient Mesopotamian cities of Umma and Lagash between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. When the walls and temples of Babylon were razed around 690 BC, the waters of the Euphrates were used to wash away the ruins.
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Coping with the Impacts of Climate Change on Coffee Cultivation in Brazil

By Giuliana Chaves Moreira
May 4, 2018

Climate change poses severe threats and negative impacts to agricultural production in Brazil and around the world. However, emerging water stewardship practices can be a critical force in mitigating and adapting to these impacts.

The main effects of climate change on agriculture are related to changes in the availability of water to crops and the occurrence of more severe and more frequent extreme weather phenomena, such as floods, heat waves, frost, hurricanes, droughts, and more.

Data from the Brazilian Panel on Climate Change indicate that Brazil could lose about 11 million hectares of agricultural land due to climate change by 2030.

Coffee cultivation is of particular concern as Brazil is the world’s biggest coffee producer – yielding 2,595,000 metric tons of coffee beans in 2016 alone – and has been for over 150 years. Coffee cultivation is sensitive to both high and low temperatures, and as such faces significant climate risks. According to the estimates of the IPCC report released in 2014, the combination of the increase in average temperature and the scarcity of water resources would considerably reduce coffee cultivation.
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Collective Action Toward Water Security in Brazil

By Abbey Warner and Giuliana Chaves Moreira
March 29, 2018

Credit: Ryan Tacklin

Brazil’s water basins hold 12% of the world’s freshwater, yet the country continues to face serious water challenges, with multiple effects on people, environment, and the economy. Brazil estimates that close to 35 million citizens lack access to safe water, while 100 million lack access to appropriate sanitation. Water pollution and wetlands degradation threaten the country’s myriad species of flora and fauna. Meanwhile, 30-40% of treated water is lost during distribution, a significant economic loss. And multiple water risks threaten business viability. The country’s growing economy and burgeoning population, combined with its vulnerability to climate change, will place added pressure on its water resources.
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Water is Connected to Every Major Global Risk We Face

By Cora Kammeyer
February 2, 2018

Water crises have been among the top five global risks in each of the last seven years, according to the World Economic Forum (WEF). This year is no exception. ‘Water Crises’ is listed as the fifth-most impactful risk for 2018. In addition to being a major risk in its own right, water is also linked to many other of the most significant risks, social and environmental, confronting our society today.

Defining Water Crises

“Water Crises: A significant decline in the available quality and quantity of fresh water, resulting in harmful effects on human health and/or economic activity.”

– WEF Global Risks Report 2018

While WEF’s definition of “water crises” is focused on insufficiency, it is important to remember that the world’s water challenges are not constrained to scarcity and pollution. As we have said before, physical water risks can stem from a variety of issues, including having too much water, not enough water, or water that is unfit for use. This year’s risk report highlighted all three types of water challenges: …»