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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.

COVID-19: Why Most Don’t Need to Stockpile Bottled Water

March 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.

Op-Ed: Hand-Washing Is Critical in the Fight Against Coronavirus, but What If You Don’t Have Safe Water?

The coronavirus 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.

Pacific Institute and Partners Developing Database on Public Water Management in U.S. and Mexico with Webinar Series

The Pacific Institute, World Resources Institute, and the UN Global Compact CEO Water Mandate are working with businesses to develop a database on public water management in the U.S. and Mexico.

Water Resilience Coalition Launched

March 23, 2020, Oakland, California — The Pacific Institute today announced that as Co-Secretariat of the United Nations Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, it has partnered with a number of leading global companies to launch an industry-driven, CEO-led initiative, the Water Resilience Coalition. The Coalition aims to preserve the world’s freshwater resources through collective action in water-stressed basins and ambitious, quantifiable commitments.

COVID-19 Shines Spotlight on Water and Sanitation Challenges

March 21, 2020, Oakland, California -- Tomorrow is World Water Day,  a day to celebrate the importance of water to people and the planet. This year’s focus on water and climate change has been expanded to include handwashing, recognizing that the changing climate impacts water and exacerbates water scarcity in places where people already lack access to safe water. 

New Paper Calls for Urgent Business Action to Mitigate and Manage Water-Related Risks of Climate Change

March 20, 2020, Oakland, California -- A paper released today by the Pacific Institute and partners presents the case for more urgent action from the business community to mitigate and manage the water-related risks of climate change, including precipitation shifts and extreme drought, which are intensifying around the world. By demystifying common barriers to action and presenting examples from businesses making effective changes on the ground, Corporate Water Resilience in an Uncertain Future shows how businesses can effectively adapt to physical risks of a shifting climate, while helping to mitigate further effects of climate change. 

Corporate Water Resilience in an Uncertain Future

Around the world, businesses are experiencing adverse physical effects of climate change, from increased operational costs and disrupted production to social unrest in communities in which they operate. These impacts are most prominently expressed through changes in the water cycle, including precipitation shifts and extreme drought.