Publications

Colorado River Shortage Proposal: Conservation Before Shortage

A multi-year drought has had a tremendous impact on storage in the Colorado River basin....

Desalination, With a Grain of Salt: A California Perspective

This report provides a comprehensive overview of the history, benefits, and risks of ocean desalination.

Testimony of Dr. Peter H. Gleick to the United States Congress Committee on Government Reform

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.

Hazard: The Future of the Salton Sea with No Restoration Project

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.

Understanding and Reducing the Risks of Climate Change

Honorable members of the legislature and of the public, thank you for the opportunity to offer this briefing today.

US EPA Hearing on Particulate Matter

Hello, my name is Emily Lee. I am a program associate at the Pacific Institute, which is a non-profit research institute based in Oakland.

The Emerging Role of Private Social and Environmental International Standards in Economic Globalization

In a world where businesses understand the clear benefits of being perceived of as good socio-environmental performers, companies will market themselves thus, even when this means baseless self-promotion and/or outright deception known as ‘greenwashing.’

Testimony: Dam It, Not Now: Comments on Governor Schwarzenegger’s Water Bond Proposal

Water is vital to our economy, our environment, and our daily lives. As California’s population and economy grow, there is mounting concern about our ability to meet future water demand.

Remaining Drops: Freshwater Resources a Global Issue

Corporations and institutional investors face new risks and challenges relating to water. Uninterrupted access to reliable, affordable and clean water is now a critical issue for the investment and corporate communities because of the increasingly significant effects that water-resource availability and quality are having on economic growth and activity, paths to development and markets around the world.

Beyond Privitization: Restructuring Water Systems to Improve Performance

Water managers face significant challenges meeting the water supply, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management needs of the communities they serve.

Understanding Flows Through the Remnant Colorado River Delta: Recommendations for Streamgage Sites and Data Collection

This white paper asserts that the current lack of data on the last 75 miles of the Colorado River hampers efforts to understand and preserve the river’s threatened final reach.

Water Planning and Conservation Needs: Testimony Before the California Assembly Select Committee on Growth and Infrastructure

California Water 2030: An Efficient Future

What will the future hold for California’s water? Will resources dwindle, causing conflict and hardship, or will increased conservation measures and cooperation provide enough for all?

Deluged by Diesel: Healthy Solutions for West County

There is an estimated six times more diesel pollution released per square mile in the western part of California’s Contra Costa County than in the county as a whole, and 40 times more than in the rest of the state. Diesel pollution has been identified as one of the biggest health threats in California and is linked to cancer, heart disease, premature death, asthma, and other health problems.

Climate Change Questions and Answers Fact Sheet

“After decades of studying climate change, a global consensus has emerged: Climate change is real, has already begun, and poses a grave threat to the United States and the world,” said Dr. Peter H. Gleick, an internationally recognized expert on climate change and water resources. Dr. Gleick is President of the Pacific Institute, a member of the United Nations Sigma Xi Climate Mitigation and Adaptation Advisory Group, and a 2003 MacArthur Fellow.