Publications

423 Resources

Left Out in Drought: California Fish

September 7, 2022 | publication

More than 97% of California is now experiencing severe drought. While California is known for extreme hydrologic variability, climate change has increased the severity and frequency of droughts significantly intensifying the crisis many fish species face.

Pacific Institute 2021 Annual Review

June 16, 2022 | publication

During 2021, the debilitating impacts of the global water crisis, exacerbated by climate change, made bold headlines—with risks to people, nature, and economies. For the Pacific Institute, 2021 was one of the boldest years yet to provide solutions to the world's most pressing water challenges.

Presentation: The Untapped Potential of California’s Urban Water Supply

April 18, 2022 | publication

In this presentation, Pacific Institute experts provided a deep dive into the untapped potential of California's alternative water supplies: urban water efficiency, water reuse, and stormwater capture...

The Untapped Potential of California’s Urban Water Supply: Water Efficiency, Water Reuse, and Stormwater Capture

April 12, 2022 | publication

Persistent challenges and severe drought have shone a spotlight on the vulnerability of California’s water systems. They also offer an opportunity to rethink the state’s water supplies and strategies for the 21st century and beyond.

The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Water Components

November 13, 2021 | publication

On November 5, 2021, the U.S. Congress passed President Biden’s major infrastructure bill, HR 3684, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The President is expected to sign the bill into law.

An Assessment of Oil and Gas Water Cycle Reporting in California

November 12, 2021 | publication

In the context of severe drought in California, Senate Bill 1281 (2014, Pavley) expanded reporting requirements for the state's oil and gas industry regarding produced water — the water extracted from oil and gas production. The intention of the bill is to ensure the ability to assess impacts on California’s water resources, public health, and the environment.

Op-Ed: Does the Bay Area Have the Water It Needs to Grow?

October 29, 2021 | publication

It seems as though the two things the Bay Area has the least of are housing and water. The region has a shortfall of 699,000 housing units, which has driven housing costs to astronomical heights, and pushed 35,000 of our neighbors into temporary housing or onto the streets. Our colleagues at San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR),a public policy think tank, have found that the region needs to build an astonishing 2.2 million homes by 2070 to meet future demand and make up for the present shortfall.

Water Resilience

October 29, 2021 | publication

The world is facing a global water crisis marked by growing competition for freshwater resources, rapidly deteriorating water quality, poor and declining ecosystem health, unprecedented biodiversity loss, and a failure to meet basic water and sanitation needs.

Freshwater Scarcity

October 24, 2021 | publication

The availability and use of fresh water are critical for human health and for economic and ecosystem stability. But the growing mismatch between human demands and natural freshwater availability is contributing to water scarcity, affecting industrial and agricultural production and a wide range of social, economic, and political problems, including poverty, deterioration of ecosystem health, and violent conflicts.

Water for a Growing Bay Area: How the Region Can Grow Without Increasing Water Demand

October 21, 2021 | publication

The San Francisco Bay Area is projected to add two million jobs by 2070, attracting millions more people. To prevent housing from becoming even more unaffordable, the region needs to build 2.2 million new housing units.

Testimony on Colorado River Drought Conditions and Response Measures to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

October 20, 2021 | publication

Pacific Institute Senior Researcher Michael Cohen submitted written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife for their October 20, 2021 hearing on drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin and potential response measures.

Op-Ed: Happy New Water Year — Californians Have to Face Some Difficult Wet Season Truths

October 4, 2021 | publication

Happy New Water Year. For those of us who work on California water challenges, the start of the new year isn’t Jan. 1; it’s Oct. 1, the official beginning of the state’s wet season.

The Future of California’s Water-Energy-Climate Nexus

September 9, 2021 | publication

Water and energy are inextricably linked in California and, as one resource faces constraints or challenges, so does the other. With the state looking to both reach its climate change goals and decarbonize its economy through a transition to 100 percent clean energy, water will play an integral role.

A New Vigilance: Identifying and Reducing the Risks of Environmental Terrorism

September 1, 2021 | publication

Environmental terrorism is an old type of conflict with a new face. Large, costly wars
between two or more states have become less prevalent over the past 50 years, and with the end
of the Cold War and the demise of the Soviet Union, there has been no bipolar superpower
standoff to suppress the many ethnic, religious, and multipolar political and cultural tensions that
motivate terrorist actions.

Water Resilience Assessment Framework

August 24, 2021 | publication

Climate change is driving many types of water challenges, including water scarcity and abundance, worsening water quality, and shifts in timing of the hydrologic cycle. Shocks and stresses affect the resilience of water systems and the stakeholders that rely on them. Specific guidance on how to understand system resilience and measure systematic changes and intervening actions can ensure a more resilient future for all.

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