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Ending Conflicts Over Water

In recent years, a wide range of water-related factors have contributed to political instability, human dislocation and migration, agricultural and food insecurity, and in more and more cases, actual conflict and violence.

Ending Conflicts Over Water: Solutions to Water and Security Challenges

Seventeen countries, home to a quarter of the world’s population, face extremely high water stress, according to recent analysis from the World Resources Institute. Billions of people face other growing water challenges as well, including highly polluted water, increasingly erratic rainfall leading to more severe droughts and floods, and lack of access to safe and affordable drinking water.

Op-Ed: The Future Has Arrived. These Explosive Fires Are Our Climate Change Wakeup Call

Like millions of people in the western United States this week, I woke up to deep red, sunless skies, layers of ash coating the streets, gardens, and cars, and the smell of burning forests, lives, homes, and dreams. Not to be too hyperbolic, but on top of the political chaos, the economic collapse, and the worst pandemic in modern times, it seemed more than a little apocalyptic.

Just Released: Water Recommendations to the Next President

September 14, 2020, Oakland, California – The Pacific Institute just released a set of top recommendations for federal water priorities for the next president of the United States. Calling for the president to take swift and meaningful action on a number of outstanding issues, from lack of access to safe water for tens of millions of Americans to climate change’s impacts on the nation’s water systems, Water Recommendations to the Next President includes a set of specific federal strategies and actions.

Water Recommendations to the Next President

Every human being needs safe and affordable water, but in the United States, tens of millions of people still lack it. As the COVID-19 pandemic revealed, poor water infrastructure and the failure to provide universal access to safe water and sanitation threaten public health. Meanwhile, water shortages, poor management, and antiquated water systems threaten the nation’s food supply, ecosystems, and economy.

How Does Business Prepare for Short-Term Shocks and Long-Term Resilience to Climate Change

The world’s economy is crucially dependent on water. Agriculture (70%) and industry (20%) constitute most uses of the world’s freshwater consumption. Climate change introduces uncertainties into the water cycle...

Report Finds at Least 1,000 To 6,000 Wells in California Are at Risk of Failure

September 2, 2020, Oakland, California – This week the Center for Regional Change at the University of California, Davis released a report that measures the vulnerability of domestic wells to groundwater management strategies in California. Sustainable for Whom? The Impact of Groundwater Sustainability Plans on Domestic Wells finds that at least 1,000 to 6,000 wells in California are at risk of failure in critically overdrafted groundwater basins under the locally proposed minimum thresholds.

Sustainable for Whom? The Impact of Groundwater Sustainability Plans on Domestic Wells

Studies estimate that 1.5 to 2.5 million Californians rely on domestic wells to meet their household water needs, but because domestic wells are often shallow, they are often sensitive to changes in groundwater levels. Thus sustainable groundwater management has an important role to play in safeguarding the health and safety of Californians and the achievement of the state’s recognized human right to water.

Water-related Conflicts Set to Rise Amid Demand Growth and Climate Impacts

New Report Finds Even the Toughest Water Security Problems Can Be Solved

September 2, 2020, Oakland, California — Water insecurity is increasing worldwide. Every day there are devastating floods, droughts and water crises around the world; and water risks are increasingly driving conflict and political instability. In most cases, these threats are not merely a consequence of weather or climate, but also the result of inadequate water management and governance. A new report from the Pacific Institute, World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Water, Peace and Security (WPS) Partnership finds that even the thorniest water problems can be solved.

Ending Conflicts Over Water: Solutions to Water and Security Challenges

Water-related conflict and political instability are on the rise across the globe. But while intensifying water challenges and the threats they pose to security are well documented, relatively few solutions have been presented. This report fills the gap by exploring several dozen strategies to reduce water-related conflicts in key water-insecure hotspots around the world.

How Distributed Water Infrastructure Can Boost Resilience in the Face of COVID-19 and Other Shocks  

COVID-19 — and the ensuing economic crisis — is affecting all sectors of society, including water. Across the country, water utilities are facing lower revenues, more unpaid and late water bills, and higher costs to protect essential staff from COVID-19.

Where the Oil Runs Deep, Water Turns Foul

August 2020 Newsletter

The monthly newsletter features the Pacific Institute’s research, publications, news about past and upcoming Institute staff outreach efforts, and media coverage of its work and analysis.

Aligning Measurement and Metrics for Basin Resilience Webinar

During this 45 minute webinar, Aligning Measurement and Metrics for Basin Resilience [italicized], a group of researchers from the project team present a novel and timely approach for building basin-level water resilience through a stakeholder-driven process.

New Guidebook: Installing Sustainable Landscaping on Business Properties in California

August 20th, 2020, Oakland, California – A new guidebook from the Pacific Institute, Sustainable Landscapes in California: A Guidebook for Commercial and Industrial Site Managers, provides simple steps to help businesses consider, select, and install sustainable landscaping.

Simple Steps for Businesses to Transform Their Landscapes

The Pacific Institute has developed an interactive guide, Sustainable Landscapes in California: A Guidebook for Commercial and Industrial Site Managers, which provides step-by-step help for businesses interested in sustainable landscapes. 

Sustainable Landscapes in California: A Guidebook for Commercial and Industrial Site Managers

Sustainable landscaping offers a solution in balance with the local climate and ecology, and actively contributes to community and watershed health by providing economic, social, and environmental benefits.

Lessons from India and South Africa: Setting Site Water Targets to Drive Action

To effectively mitigate water risk and improve water security, setting site water targets is a business imperative. Developing site water targets that account for local context drives informed actions at the local level and helps companies make meaningful change.

Op-Ed: Water Resilience in the Age of COVID-19

In the past few weeks, communities around the country have experienced record-breaking rain, heat, hurricanes, and drought. We have seen flooding from failed dams and levees, as well as fires from unseasonably dry forests and grasslands.

Heat waves to heighten energy and water insecurity during COVID-19

Decline in Hydropower Hampered by Drought Will Impact Utility Costs

New Report Finds Opportunities for Improving Long-Range Water Demand Forecasts

August 5, 2020, Oakland, California – A new report from the Pacific Institute, An Assessment of Urban Water Demand Forecasts in California, finds that urban water suppliers in California routinely overestimate long-range water demand.

An Assessment of Urban Water Demand Forecasts in California

In California, urban per capita water demand has declined dramatically over the past several decades, driven in part by greater uptake of water-efficient devices.

New Report Explores Nature-Based Solutions for Business Resilience

August 3, 2020, Oakland, California – A new report co-authored by the Pacific Institute examines contemporary thinking around nature-based solutions (NBS) for the business sector and identifies key opportunities and challenges to implementing NBS for businesses.