Search Results

How Can the World Avoid the Spread of Future Pandemics?

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought up problems and challenges related to basic sanitation, as this is not only a global health crisis, but also a social crisis that affects the lives of millions of people living in vulnerable situations. 

Data Show Millions at Risk of Water Shutoffs During COVID-19

President Jason Morrison to Attend California Water Action Collaborative Spring Meeting

From May 26th through 28th, Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison, along with Director of Research Heather Cooley and Research Associate Cora Kammeyer, will attend the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC) virtual spring meeting.

Coronavirus Halts Climate Research and Raises Fears of Long-Term Hit to Science Budgets

The Environment, Climate, and a Global Pandemic

The 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic is having the unexpected and unintended effect of teaching us lessons about both the vulnerability and the resilience of our natural ecosystems and environment. As of this writing in late April, we are still in the middle of it, with no obvious end in sight, as the virus continues to spread around the world.

What the US’ Response to Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Climate Change

Op-Ed: Opportunities Are Plentiful to Sustain California Agriculture in the Face of Water Supply Uncertainties

Nationally, we export about $40 billion of agricultural products annually. There is nothing wrong with importing or exporting food; we live in a global economy, which is extremely important to California’s prosperity.

On Earth Day, Envisioning Our Shared Future (2020)

On this Earth Day, the 50th anniversary of the world’s largest environmental movement and in the midst of a global crisis, we are all invited to think of earth as one big system in which the vitality of all life is interconnected.

New Report on Mapping Public Water Management

Poor water management poses major risks to agriculture, industry, and local communities. However, there is a critical lack of information available about local water conditions, making better management difficult.

Mapping Public Water Management: Proof of Concept

What cannot be measured cannot be managed. Poor water management poses major risks to agriculture, industry, and local communities. However, there is a critical lack of information available about local water conditions, making better management difficult.

April 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 the Global Lockdown is Affecting our Environment

From Sea Turtles to Sunsets, the Surprising Ways the Coronavirus Pandemic is Impacting the Environment

On Earth Day, Envisioning Our Shared Future

We don’t inherit the earth from our parents, we borrow it from our children. This saying, commonly attributed to American poet Wendell Berry, reminds us that we are stewards of the earth.

When Utilities Shut Off Water for the Poor, We Are All at Risk

When a household fails to pay its water bill in full for more than a given period of time – typically one or two months – its water service may be shut off by the water utility serving the household.

Opportunities are Plentiful to Sustain California Agriculture in the Face of Water Supply Uncertainties

Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute to Receive Innovation in Sustainability Science Award

April 16, Oakland, California -- The Ecological Society of America (ESA) has announced that Dr. Peter Gleick of the Pacific Institute will receive the Innovation in Sustainability Science Award, along with co-authors, for the paper "Nexus Approaches to Global Sustainable Development," published in the journal Nature Sustainability.

Pandemic Shines a Light on Critical Water Issues — Will Congress Fund Solutions?

Pacific Institute Joins US Water Alliance in Highlighting Principles for COVID Relief and Recovery

April 8, 2020, Oakland, California — The Pacific Institute has joined the Principles for COVID Relief and Recovery: Guiding Principles to Secure Our Water Future. The COVID-19 pandemic is shining a spotlight on the weaknesses of social, economic, and health safety nets we’ve long taken for granted, including our water system. 

Stormwater Capture is Undervalued in California

Urban stormwater is an important and undervalued alternative water supply in California. In two recent articles, Pacific Institute researchers examined how to better value urban stormwater capture and incorporate co-benefits provided by this water source.

Scaling Corporate Water Stewardship to Address Water Challenges in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River Basin states face significant water challenges, including the overallocation of water, long-term drought, and climate change. This report, commissioned by the Walton Family Foundation, explores the potential for corporate water stewardship to help solve these challenges.

New Report Explores Businesses Water Resilience in the Colorado River Basin

April 6, Oakland, California – The Pacific Institute today released a report that explores how businesses can help address water challenges in the Colorado River Basin. The Colorado River Basin states face significant water challenges, including the overallocation of water, long-term drought, and climate change. This report examines a set of business actions and activities, with associated drivers and barriers, to identify how business could address some of the water challenges in the basin.

Corporate Water Stewardship in the Colorado River Basin

The Colorado River Basin is the lifeblood of the West, providing water to more than 40 million people in seven U.S. states and two states in Mexico. Irrigation using Colorado River water generates an estimated $8 billion annually in agricultural products like winter vegetables, cotton, and cattle and dairy. In addition, recreation along the river and its tributary streams (boating, swimming, hiking, camping, etc.) contributes $17 billion per year to local economies.

New Research Finds Incorporating Co-Benefits and Scaling Make Urban Stormwater Capture More Economically Feasible

March 31, 2020, Oakland, California -- Stormwater is an increasingly important and undervalued water supply option in California. As climate change increases the risk of both droughts and floods, stormwater capture offers a significant opportunity to invest in water sustainability and community resilience.

Economic Evaluation of Stormwater Capture and Its Multiple Benefits in California

Urban stormwater is becoming an increasingly important alternative water supply in California. However, current economic analyses do not adequately evaluate co-benefits provided by different stormwater investments. As a result, urban stormwater capture is undervalued.