For more than a decade, California has had relatively adequate winter rains and mostly full reservoirs. No longer. We had the opportunity to fix many of our water problems while the state had more abundant water, but that chance has been squandered. And though we’ve never been very good at making rational water decisions in a crisis, the time to change that is clearly and urgently here.
Despite recent, high-profile media claims that walking is worse for the planet than driving, a Pacific Institute analysis shows that when it comes to your carbon footprint, results vary significantly based on the factors assumed. The environmental impacts of our choices require a discerning look.
A year after a faulty marketing report fueled an automotive face-off, the Pacific Institute, armed with newly released Consumer Reports’ data, returns to the Hummer versus Prius debate and finds the Prius is (still) more energy efficient over its lifetime than the Hummer.
Branches, stalks, and manure are waste no longer; bioenergy is part of the solution to reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. A study released by the Green Power Institute, the Renewable Energy Program of the Pacific Institute, reports that converting forest residues, agricultural and urban biomass waste, and gases from manure and landfills into energy helps reduce our greenhouse-gas emissions and replace a portion of fossil-fuel use.
While more than a billion people lack safe water and 2.6 billion lack access to sanitation worldwide, numerous technologies and approaches already exist to provide access to clean water, safe sanitation, and hygiene education. In a report from the Pacific Institute and the Woodrow Wilscon Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program (ECSP), scientists and development experts evaluate existing resources and identify a pressing need still remains for a comprehensive decision-making tool that can assist practitioners in evaluating and identifying the best technology or approach to meet their water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) needs.
Recognizing the urgency with respect to addressing the emerging global water crisis, the UN Secretary-General, in partnership with a number of international business leaders, launched in July 2007 a new initiative – The CEO Water Mandate – under the auspices of the UN Global Compact. The initiative was developed with the understanding that the private sector, through the production of goods and services, impacts water resources – both directly and through supply chains. Endorsing CEOs acknowledge that in order to operate in a sustainable manner, and contribute to the vision of the UN Global Compact and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, they have a responsibility to make water-resources management a priority, and to work with governments, UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to address this challenge.
In January, it rained a lot in Southern California. The usual street intersections flooded. Water tumbled down the Los Angeles River. And houses in areas ravaged by fires last fall seemed in danger of sliding off their hilltop perches
After more than a decade of generous rainfall and healthy river flows, the dry years are back. Much of the state, notably Southern California, has been experiencing sever drought. The major reservoirs along the Colorado River are less than half full. Snowpack in the Sierra Nevada last winter was half of normal, and meteorologists say we may be headed into another dry winter despite this weekend’s rain.
The Laguna Riparian Habitat Enhancement Concept presents a conceptual plan for improving native riparian vegetation and associated habitats within the Laguna Reach along the lower Colorado River (LCR). Various entities including the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) are actively involved in protecting and restoring habitats along the lower Colorado River. This concept is intended to provide a basis for efforts to enhance or restore habitats within the Laguna Division for a variety of valuable fish and bird species and to stimulate discussion on ways to meet these goals.
The Pacific Institute finds that it took approximately 17 million barrels of oil equivalent to produce plastic for bottled water consumed by Americans in 2006—enough energy to fuel more than 1 million American cars and light trucks for a year. The widely cited 1.5 million barrel statistic is an error, the result of a miscommunication between a journalist and a researcher in 2003. That researcher and others now stand by this updated assessment.
Two of the West’s preeminent water organizations report Las Vegas Valley is sitting on an oasis of water and money savings. In their new report, the Pacific Institute and Western Resource Advocates find up to 40% of water could be saved in some sectors through improvements to indoor and outdoor water efficiency. They also found that through improving indoor water efficiency in particular, Las Vegas residents and businesses can cut water-related energy use and greenhouse gases. These findings are contained in Hidden Oasis: Water Conservation and Efficiency in Las Vegas available for download below.
For the Santa Clara Water District, the recent resolution promoting tap water over bottled water was a clear choice–a choice largely bolstered by Pacific Institute research. The District’s recognition of the economic and environmental impacts of bottled water led them to ban the sale of bottled water in district facilities.
Right in the middle of one of the driest deserts in North America lies California’s largest lake, the little-known and oft-maligned Salton Sea. The Sea and its environs are one of the most important spots on the map for birds, with more than 400 species of birds – often numbering in the millions of individual birds – visiting the Sea every year. Despite its importance, the Salton Sea is the Rodney Dangerfield of California’s lakes, enduring insult after insult. Within the next 20-30 years, the Sea will be dealt the greatest insult, as the volume of water that sustains this 360-square mile lake will decrease by more than 40 percent, rapidly shrinking the lake and increasing the amount of dust and salt that blows through the Imperial and Coachella valleys.
The Pacific Institute is one of the world’s leading independent non-profits, conducting research and advocacy on the related and pressing issues of environmental degradation, poverty, and political conflict. In 2007, the Pacific Institute celebrates 20 years of groundbreaking work: a generation of addressing local, national, and international problems in the fields of freshwater resources, climate change, environmental justice, and globalization.
Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and the Pacific Institute are pleased to announce their joint publication of a new trends report that focuses on corporate water strategy. At the Crest of a Wave: A Proactive Approach to Corporate Water Strategy explains the drivers behind water trends, their implications for business and, most importantly, how to prepare for them.
On Aug. 31, a federal judge acknowledged what many people have long known — we have run up against the limits of our water supplies. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger ruled that state and federal water managers must change how they operate California’s water system to reduce environmental harm.
The Salton Sea lies 470 miles southeast of San Francisco, a vast, cursed salt lake far from the minds of most in the Bay Area. Part of the Salton Sea’s curse is that it is so distant, so different from most people’s experiences. Today, temperatures at the sea are likely more than 40 degrees hotter than San Francisco. Irrigated fields stretch for miles to the north and south of the sea. To the east and west, mesquite and creosote bush dot the landscape, before the Chocolate and Santa Rosa mountains rise sharply from the desert floor. The total population of Imperial County, locus of most of the sea, is about a tenth that of Alameda County, despite having almost six times the land area. If the Salton Sea – roughly the size of San Francisco Bay – were next to San Francisco or to Sacramento, its problems would have been addressed long ago.
Contrary to popular belief, growth in California’s population, economy and water use is no longer linked. From 1975 to 2001, our population increased by 60 percent and gross state product increased by 250 percent. Yet during that same period, total water use decreased statewide. Improved efficiency technology, forward-thinking lawmakers and changes in our industries have helped make this possible.
In an effort to satisfy the future water needs of its wholesale customers, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) commissioned a series of comprehensive assessments on the area’s future water demand, conservation potential, and recycled water potential. Based on these studies, the SFPUC projects that by 2030, the total water demand of its wholesale and retail customers will increase by 14%, or 33 million gallons per day (mgd).
As leaders of business organizations we recognize that the private sector has an important stake in helping to address the water challenge faced by the world today. It is increasingly clear that lack of access to clean water and sanitation in many parts of the world causes great suffering in humanitarian, social, environmental and economic terms, and seriously undermines development goals.
Constitution of the CEO Water Mandate An initiative by business leaders in partnership with the UN Global Compact and the …
The Terminator may soon become Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s official title, not just his humorous nickname. Earlier this month, media and public attention was riveted on the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta as two wayward whales made their way back to the Pacific Ocean. At the same time, and of far less apparent public interest, another crisis below the surface of the delta has reached a boiling point. New scientific surveys revealed that a tiny fish — the delta smelt — appears to be heading for rapid extinction.
The CNW Marketing Research, Inc.’s 2007 “Dust to Dust: The Energy Cost of New Vehicles From Concept to Disposal” caught the interest of the media and the public with its claim that a Hummer H3 SUV has a lower life-cycle energy cost than a Toyota Prius hybrid. Closer inspection suggests that the report’s conclusions rely on faulty methods of analysis, untenable assumptions, selective use and presentation of data, and a complete lack of peer review. Even the most cursory look reveals serious biases and flaws: the average Hummer H1 is assumed to travel 379,000 miles and last for 35 years, while the average Prius is assumed to last only 109,000 miles over less than 12 years. These selective and unsupported assumptions distort the final results. A quick re-analysis with peer-reviewed data leads to completely opposite conclusions: the life-cycle energy requirements of hybrids and smaller cars are far lower than Hummers and other large SUVs. CNW should either release its full report, including methods, assumptions, and data, or the public should ignore its conclusions. Unfortunately, “Dust to Dust” has already distorted the public debate.
More than a billion people lack access to safe drinking water. Two and a half billion people live without access to adequate sanitation systems necessary to reduce exposure to water-related diseases. The failure of the international aid community, nations, and local organizations to satisfy these basic human needs has led to substantial, unnecessary, and preventable human suffering. Tens of thousand of people, mostly young children and the elderly, die every day from water-related diseases.
This report evaluates how global companies recognize, address, and report their water-related risks and practices. Using a framework of ten activities for managing water-related business risks, the authors analyze corporate sustainability and corporate social responsibility reports from 139 of the largest companies in 11 water-intensive industry sectors. This analysis reveals several patterns and gaps in corporate water reporting:
On February 7, 2007, White House Press Secretary Tony Snow bragged that the United States was doing better than Europe in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, despite the fact that the European Union had adopted a carbon cap system and the U.S. had not.
We submit these comments on Reclamation’s Restoration of the Salton Sea Summary Report on behalf of the Pacific Institute and the Sierra Club. Our groups have been working actively to identify and implement a feasible Salton Sea restoration plan for nearly a decade. We welcome the federal and state efforts to improve the ecological health of the Salton Sea ecosystem, and offer these comments in the hopes that they might benefit Reclamation’s planning efforts and the Salton Sea ecosystem.
The growing consumption of bottled water raises questions about the product’s economic and environmental costs. Among the most significant concerns are the resources required to produce the plastic bottles and to deliver filled bottles to consumers, including both energy and water.
As members of the Salton Sea Advisory Committee and as representatives of AudubonCalifornia, California Outdoor Heritage Alliance, Defenders of Wildlife, Pacific Institute, and Sierra Club, organizations with nearly 400,000 members in California, we write to urge you to expedite the development and implementation of ‘Early Start Habitat’ (ESH) at the Salton Sea. We believe that ESH can provide multiple benefits, including high-quality bird habitat, air quality management, data on the relative benefits of various ecological and engineering designs, and, more broadly, a mechanism for generating additional revenues for the Salton Sea Ecosystem Restoration Program.
Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Drop 2 Storage Reservoir Project Draft Environmental Assessment. These comments are submitted by the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, Living Rivers, National Wildlife Federation, Pacific Institute, Sierra Club, and Yuma Audubon Society.
The proliferation of corporate social responsibility (CSR) standards and initiatives suggests a growing recognition – by civil society groups and businesses alike – that corporations can and should play an active role in advancing sustainability by improving their social and environmental performance. There also is a growing consensus that better and greater coordination is needed among these initiatives in order to strengthen their effectiveness and credibility.
For six years the Bush administration has refused to take any serious actions nationwide to improve energy and water efficiency. Now it is actively thwarting the efforts of Californians to take such actions on our own. Our state, the federal government would have us know, does not have a compelling interest in conserving water or energy.
In the fall of 2006, the Port of Oakland announced plans to develop a Maritime Air Quality Improvement Plan (MAQIP) that would serve as its roadmap and master planning document for air quality improvement measures. Working in close collaboration with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project and the Ditching Dirty Diesel Collaborative, the Pacific Institute put together a proposal for a community co-chaired task force comprised of a wide range of stakeholders from community, industry, labor, environment, and health backgrounds to help craft the MAQIP. Following the creation of this stakeholder task force, the Pacific Institute helped form detailed recommendations for meeting community health and environmental justice goals for the MAQIP and coordinated the creation of sign-on letters from a broad range of stakeholders.
“Paying With Our Health: The Real Cost of Freight Transport in California” characterizes the costs of freight transport (AKA goods movement) by detailing the health costs of asthma and other illnesses, revenues generated by goods movement activities, and the level of economic opportunity provided to affected communities. It compiles existing exposure studies that characterize the health and local impacts resulting from the system of freight transport.
The water sector faces serious challenges. The failure to meet basic human needs for water; difficulties in meeting the financial requirements for maintaining, extending, and upgrading both new and aging water systems; new regulatory requirements for water quality; increasing water scarcity; competition for limited capital, and global climate change will continue to affect the development of the water sector. In addition, the water objectives of the Millennium Development Goals add impetus to efforts in developing countries and the Big 5 economies (BRICS)1 to halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation. As existing water infrastructure hits the century-old mark, the developed OECD countries are also facing immediate needs to replace and upgrade infrastructure, respond to new water quality regulations, and ensure the security of water supplies in response to climate change, pollution, and growing populations. For all water systems, the main focus is on the best ways to finance and implement improvements in operation and maintenance of systems.
The 2004 volume of The World’s Water discussed the growing phenomenon of bottled use around the world, particularly in regions where high-quality tap water is available, as in most of North America and Western Europe (Gleick 2004). This “In Brief” updates recent events and provides new data on bottled water use.
In The World’s Water 2006-2007, Pacific Institute President and series editor Peter Gleick convened Pacific Institute staff and others in presenting the fifth edition, covering some of the most significant current worldwide water issues: * water and terrorism, * preserving and restoring instream water allocations, * an update of seawater desalination, * the growing risks of floods and droughts, * environmental justice for water, * water risks facing industry, and * updated information on bottled water, international disputes over water, and the discovery of water on Mars.
1. Create greater meaningful collaboration between county health and city planning in decision-making around land-uses
-Use health impact assessments to incorporate public health issues into the planning process. CEQA comes too late in the process, so it is less likely that developers want to comply.
At the request of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Pacific Institute analyzed historical water conservation and efficiency programs and water demand forecasts for the region around Atlanta, Georgia. This effort aimed to improve understanding of the potential for reducing water waste in the region and maintaining critical water flows for downstream ecosystems in Georgia and Florida. The analysis was submitted to the DEP in August 2006.
The importance of freshwater and water infrastructure to human and ecosystem health and to the smooth functioning of a commercial and industrial economy makes water and water systems targets for terrorism. The chance that terrorists will strike at water systems is real; indeed, there is a long history of such attacks. Water infrastructure can be targeted directly or water can be contaminated through the introduction of poison or diseasecausing agents. The damage is done by hurting people, rendering water unusable, or destroying purification and supply infrastructure. More uncertain, however, is how significant such threats are today, compared with other targets that may be subject to terrorist attack, or how effective such attacks would actually be. Analysis and historical evidence suggest that massive casualties from attacking water systems are difficult to produce, although there may be some significant exceptions. At the same time, the risk of societal disruptions, disarray, and even overreaction on the part of governments and the public from any attack, may be high. This paper reviews the history of past attacks on water systems and the most pressing vulnerabilities and risks facing modern water systems. Suggestions of ways to reduce those risks are also presented.
The surface elevation of Lake Mead dropped more than 85 feet between March 2000 and March 2006. There is a real possibility that, for the first time, the Secretary of the Interior will declare an actual shortage on the lower Colorado River in the near future.
In Desalination, With a Grain of Salt – A California Perspective, the Pacific Institute provides a comprehensive overview of the history, benefits, and risks of ocean desalination, and the barriers that hinder more widespread use of this technology, especially in the context of recent proposals for a massive increase in desalination development in California.Long considered the Holy Grail of water supply, desalination offers the potential of an unlimited source of fresh water purified from the vast oceans of salt water that surround us. The public, politicians, and water managers continue to hope that cost-effective and environmentally safe ocean desalination will come to the rescue of water-short regions. While seawater desalination plants are already vital for economic development in many arid and water-short areas of the world, many plants are overly expensive, inaccurately promoted, poorly designed, inappropriately sited, and ultimately useless. To avoid new, expensive errors, policymakers and the public need to take a careful look at the advantages and disadvantages of desalination and develop clear guidance on how to evaluate and judge proposals for new facilities.
Over the last few decades, there has been growing concern over the international security implications of large-scale environmental problems, including those associated with the production and use of energy resources. Recently, this attention has focused on the possibility of major climatic changes caused by growing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide and other trace gases that result, primarily from our combustion of fossil fuels. Given the extent and severity of the likely climatic changes, it is increasingly urgent that we begin to ask how climate changes will affect international relationships, economics, access to resources, and national security.
The Salton Sea is shrinking, and without a restoration project it will transform from California’s largest lake into an economic, health, and environmental hazard. The Sea’s 75-year crash-course is detailed in a report by the Oakland-based Pacific Institute, an independent, nonpartisan think-tank.
Assembly Informational Hearing Greenhouse Gas Town Hall Information Briefing for the California Assembly March 10, 2006 Testimony of Dr. Peter …
March 8, 2006 Marriot Courtyard, San Francisco US EPA Hearing on Particulate Matter (National Ambient Air Quality Standards for Particulate …
In a world where businesses understand the clear benefit s of being perceived of as good socio-environmental performers, companies will …
Testimony of Dr. Peter H. Gleick President, Pacific Institute, Oakland, California For the Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water …
Testimony: Dam It, Not Now: Comments on Governor Schwarzenegger’s Water Bond Proposal MORE
Corporations and institutional investors face ongoing risks and challenges related to water, often emerging from water-quality concerns, water resource scarcity, …
Water managers face significant challenges meeting the water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management needs of the communities …
Beyond Privitization: Restructuring Water Systems to Improve Performance MORE
