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Pacific Institute to Present Virtual Sessions for World Water Week

Each year, World Water Week in Stockholm brings together experts and stakeholders from around the globe to converse on global water issues. Although World Water Week in Stockholm was cancelled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Stockholm International Water Institute, which sponsors the event, is coordinating virtual sessions.

Water and COVID-19: From Risk to Resilience

Jason Morrison, Heather Cooley, and Morgan Shimabuku discuss COVID-19 and its effects on water resilience.

Final California Water Resilience Portfolio Released: What’s There, What’s Missing

In January 2020, California state agencies released a draft document meant to signify a new chapter in California water. Now, six months later and after extensive public consultation, the final draft of the Water Resilience Portfolio has arrived.

California Has A New Plan To Protect Its Water Supply From Climate Change, But Some Say It’s Based On Old Thinking

Comment Letter on USEPA WaterSense Program

This comment letter submitted to the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) expresses strong support for both maintaining and strengthening the WaterSense Program at the USEPA, and includes specific recommendations for improving the program. 

July 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.

How Cargill’s New Science-Based Water Targets Go with the Flow

Global Warming and Illegal Land Reclamation Add to Severe Floods in China

Água e a Pandemia da COVID-19: Um Plano Empresarial para Água e COVID-19: Ações Práticas para Conter a Pandemia

Para combater a propagação da COVID-19 e reconstruir nossas economias durante e após a pandemia, uma ação coletiva em relação à água é essencial. Tal ação pode ajudar não apenas a conter o vírus, como também a realizar o direito humano à água e acelerar a economia “azul”, na qual o bem-estar econômico e a resiliência hídrica se reforçam mutuamente. A comunidade empresarial pode desempenhar um papel fundamental no combate à disseminação da COVID-19, bem como reconstruir a economia e reduzir o risco de choques futuros. 

New Issue Brief Explores a Business Framework for Water and COVID-19

July 16, 2020, Oakland, California – A new Issue Brief from the Pacific Institute explores the role of the business community in combatting the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuilding the economy, and reducing the risk of future shocks through action on water.

Water and the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Business Framework for Water & COVID-19: Practical Actions to Contain the Pandemic

To combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus and rebuild our economies during and after the pandemic, collective action on water is essential. Such action can help not only to contain the virus, but also to realize the human right to water and accelerate the “blue” economy, whereby economic well-being and water resilience mutually reinforce one another.

What Can We Learn from Setting Site Water Targets in South Africa and India?

Setting site water targets is a business imperative to reduce water risk and improve water security. Every water catchment has a unique set of water challenges. 

Imperial Irrigation District Seeks Salton Sea Consideration in Lawsuit Over Colorado River Water

New Case Studies Explore Site-Level Water Targets in India and South Africa

July 14, 2020, Oakland, California -- Today the Pacific Institute released two case studies on setting site-level, contextual corporate water targets. While focused on river basins in India and South Africa, lessons learned from these case studies can be applied in other regions around the world.

Setting Site Water Targets Informed by Catchment Context CASE STUDY: Noyyal-Bhavani River Basin, South India

The world’s water resources are under increasing pressure from rising water consumption, pollution, and climate variability. The variety of water challenges companies face, from water governance issues to extreme events like drought, manifest in the river basins where the companies operate. Therefore, setting meaningful targets requires companies to take the local context of their operations into consideration.

Setting Site Water Targets Informed by Catchment Context CASE STUDY: Upper Vaal River Basin and Berg and Breede River Basins, South Africa

The world’s water resources are under increasing pressure from rising water consumption, pollution, and climate variability. The variety of water challenges companies face, from water governance issues to extreme events like drought, manifest in the river basins where the companies operate. Therefore, setting meaningful targets requires companies to take the local context of their operations into consideration.

Water Usage Reduction During COVID-19

The World After Coronavirus: The Future of Water

Prof. Adil Najam, the Inaugural Dean of the Pardee School of Global Studies and former Director of the Pardee Center speaks with Peter Gleick, Co-founder and President Emeritus of the Pacific Institute, about the future of water after COVID-19.

How the Coronavirus Pandemic is Affecting Water Demand

The COVID-19 pandemic has imposed massive health and economic burdens on communities around the world, and no sector of society is going untouched, including the vitally important water sector.

New Issue Briefs Explore Utility Shutoffs in the U.S. by Race and Income, COVID-19 Effects on Water Demand, and More

July 2, 2020, Oakland, California – U.S. communities of color face higher risks of utility shutoffs, in addition to disproportionately lacking access to clean drinking water and sanitation and facing greater impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new Issue Brief from the Pacific Institute.

Water and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Impacts on Municipal Water Demand

The sudden onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020 has imposed massive health and economic burdens on communities around the world, and affected every sector of society, including the water sector. Unexpected events – from social disruptions like the COVID-19 pandemic to more extreme droughts and floods due to climate change - highlight the need for water utilities to bolster their resilience so they can continue to provide critical water and wastewater services in a more variable and uncertain future.

Water and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Equity Dimensions of Utility Disconnections in the U.S.

Water is essential to public health. While the vast majority of American households served by water utilities receive a reliable supply of high-quality drinking water, there remain homes where water and wastewater services have been shut off or disconnected due to non-payment.

Water and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Ensuring Access to Water as Shutoff Moratoriums Lift

The 2020 COVID-19 pandemic sparked a nationwide discussion around the practice of water utilities disconnecting service to households that are unable or fail to pay their bills, as this places affected households and their communities at greater risk of transmitting COVID-19.

New Guidebook for Incorporating Co-Benefits into Water Management Decisions

June 29, 2020, Oakland, California – The Pacific Institute just released a guidebook for water managers to incorporate valuable co-benefits into water management decisions, providing an opportunity to increase funding through collaborative partnerships and co-funding opportunities, build partnerships, garner public support, and more. An accompanying case study shows the guidance in action in Austin, Texas.

Incorporating Multiple Benefits into Water Projects: A Guide for Water Managers

Adapting to climate change, coupled with the need to address aging infrastructure, population growth, and degraded ecosystems, requires significant investment in natural and built water systems. These investments present a significant opportunity to support not only water, but to provide economic, social, and environmental benefits.