Drought and Equity in the San Francisco Bay Area

California’s ongoing drought has wide-reaching impacts, from how we grow crops to the price of electricity. Often overlooked is its impact on disadvantaged communities. The Pacific Institute and The Environmental Justice Coalition for Water (EJCW) conducted community-based participatory research with eight Bay Area community-based groups to explore and document the drought’s impacts on low-income people in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Where We Agree: Building Consensus on Solutions to California’s Urban Water Challenges

California has a long list of unresolved and difficult water challenges, made more urgent by the severe drought that is gripping the state. As the state’s population continues to grow and climate changes become increasingly apparent, the pressures to identify and implement solutions to these critical challenges have only intensified. Recognizing an urgent need for serious changes in the way water is managed and used in the state, a broad array of stakeholders saw an opportunity to move beyond the traditional rancor and conflict by coming together to identify pragmatic and achievable solutions to urban water challenges.

Managing Drought: Learning from Australia

A new report released today shows that strategies developed and mistakes made during Australia’s decade-long millennium drought provide a powerful resource for California, as the state enters its fifth year of severe drought. “The Australian experience shows that investment in water conservation options provided the cheapest, quickest and most effective contribution to managing demand during the drought,” said Professor Stuart White, director of the Institute for Sustainable Futures (ISF), at the University of Technology Sydney. “Without them many cities and towns would have run out of water.”

Impacts of California’s Ongoing Drought: Hydroelectricity Generation 2015 Update

The Pacific Institute has released a comprehensive assessment of the costs to California of lost hydroelectricity during the four years of drought from October 2011 to the end of September 2015 (the official California “water year” runs from October 1 to September 30). Under normal conditions, electricity for the state’s millions of users is produced from a blend of many sources, with natural gas and hydropower being the top two. Since the drought has reduced the state’s river flows that power hundreds of hydropower stations, natural gas has become a more prominent player in the mix.

Incentive-Based Instruments for Freshwater Management

Freshwater is one of our most precious and valuable resources. And yet, we already see clear signs of its overexploitation across the globe. One approach to reducing pressure on water resources has been the use of incentive-based instruments, which use financial means to motivate parties towards better managing both the quantity and quality of freshwater. This synthesis aims to understand their full potential, and limitations.

Oil, Food, and Water: Challenges and Opportunities for California Agriculture

A new comprehensive study by the Pacific Institute sheds light on the risks posed when oil and gas exploration and production operate alongside agriculture.“There is growing concern about competition for land and water, and the impacts of soil and water contamination on the food supply and health and safety of farmworkers and consumers,” said Matthew Heberger, the study’s lead author.

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