This section explores the nuances of global water challenges, featuring insights by our researchers, collaborative pieces with our partners, and Q&A styled dialogues with industry experts. It complements our work by providing context, commentary, and a deeper understanding of our research findings.
Blog
Managing Urban Flooding in the San Francisco Bay Area: From a Concrete Bowl to a Green Sponge
December 4, 2019
The first fall storm is rolling through the San Francisco Bay Area this week, marking the beginning of the rainy season. While this may mean a reprieve from this season’s wildfires, it also means there’s a new risk: floods. In this post, I dig into the issue of urban flooding – what are the causes, what are the dangers and impacts, and how can we better manage it?
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Putting the Water Action Hub into Action in the Apparel Sector
November 14, 2019
How often do you think about where that new jacket you just bought was made? Or how much water was used to make it? As consumers in this rapidly expanding and globalized world, it is easy to forget the resources that go into making something that we buy with a click in the comfort of our homes.
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How to Set Meaningful Site Water Targets
October 29, 2019
Climate change is impacting all regions of the world, cutting across all sectors of society. It is closely connected to water resources, leading to more floods, droughts, poor water quality, and increased water demand due to higher temperatures – more water is needed for irrigation, drinking water, and industrial cooling.
Blog
Salton Sea +20
September 13, 2019
After decades of false starts and false hopes, progress might finally be within reach for California’s Salton Sea – the state’s largest and most maligned lake. California’s governor and natural resources secretary have demonstrated the commitment and political will needed to construct actual, on-the-ground habitat and dust control projects.
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Find Your Partners for Water Sustainability with the Water Action Hub 3.0
September 2, 2019
For those who don’t know, the Hub is an online collaboration and knowledge sharing platform for water. Or, as we like to say sometimes, it’s a “dating” site for water sustainability partners.
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Comparing Apples to Apples: Towards Better Communication Using a Common Language for Water
August 19, 2019
Coming up with a common language to describe water issues is a must if companies and other stakeholders are to engage in meaningful action. As a precursor to this, in 2014 we collaborated on the publication of the UN Global
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4 Reasons Why Urban Landscapes are a Linchpin for Climate Resilience
July 26, 2019
When it comes to water sustainability and climate resilience, urban outdoor landscapes represent a wealth of opportunity. Outdoor landscapes are a vital component of our cities...
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Water Risk Management for the Private Sector
July 17, 2019
The complexity and local nature of the global water crisis requires collaboration, from community-based organizations to governments to businesses and others. Knowledge of water risks and opportunities can help businesses mitigate those risks and contribute to water security.
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Kilimanjaro, Home to a Great Example of Water Stewardship in Action. And the Highest Mountain in Africa.
June 10, 2019
In Tanzania, between Moshi and Arusha, you come across a small town called Usa River, which is situated on the banks of its namesake: the Usa River, a tributary of the Kikuletwa and then eventually Pangani River.
Blog
Can California Shift to Proactive Drought Preparedness?
May 23, 2019
Precipitation in California is highly variable from year to year, and climate change is increasing this variability. We can expect to see more intense droughts and storms, and rapid shifts from very wet to very dry conditions.
Blog
The CEO Water Mandate launches a beta version of Water Action Hub 3.0 for World Water Day
May 1, 2019
This World Water Day, the CEO Water Mandate, a UN Global Compact initiative implemented in partnership with the Pacific Institute, will launch a beta version of Water Action Hub 3.0
Blog
The Private Sector as Part of the Solution to Address Water Security and Sanitation Issues in Brazil
March 15, 2019
A few months after the 8th World Water Forum (8th WWF) in Brasilia, between November 26th and 28th, 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.
Blog
Climate Resilience in the Urban Context: Sustainable Landscapes for Southern California Businesses
February 1, 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...
Blog
The Stormwater Opportunity
October 18, 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.
Blog
Water Is a Source of Growing Tension and Violence in the Middle East
August 29, 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...
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Collective Action Toward Water Security in Brazil
March 23, 2018
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.
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Water is Connected to Every Major Global Risk We Face
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.
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Why Companies Should Dip Their Toes in Clean Water (and Sanitation)
November 29, 2017
“While considerable progress has been made over the past decade across all areas of development, the pace of progress observed in previous years is insufficient to fully meet the Sustainable Development Goals and targets by 2030.” -United Nations, 2017
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The World’s Water Challenges (2017)
October 24, 2017
Water is perhaps the most vital natural resource on the planet. It is necessary for human survival and a critical input into our food, manufacturing, and energy systems. It also sustains the ecosystems and climates upon which both our built and natural world rely.
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Watershed Context & Water Stewardship Goals: Why Thinking Local is Critical to Hedging Global Corporate Water Risk
October 10, 2017
What do the drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, destructive monsoon flooding in Mumbai, India, Hurricane Harvey’s devastating storm surges in Texas, the recent five-year California drought, and the hypoxic dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico all have in common?
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