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Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency Potential in California – Issue Brief

California’s agricultural production is the largest in the United States, and uses about 80 percent of the state’s developed water supply.

Huffington Post: Water and Conflict in Syria

Starting in 2006 and lasting through 2011, Syria suffered the worst long-term drought and the most severe set of crop failures in recorded history. In a new research paper, I've looked at the role of regional drought...

Reflections from the CEO Water Mandate’s Meetings in Peru

About a month ago, Jason Morrison, Mai-Lan Ha, Stefanie Woodward, and I flew to Lima, Peru to convene the CEO Water Mandate’s thirteenth multi-stakeholder conference.

Forgotten Voices: A Youth Vision for Oakland

This foto-novela, available in both English and Spanish, came out of the Youth Empowerment Zone Project of the Pacific Institute and Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ).

Huffington Post: Throwing Away Good Water

On April 16, security cameras recorded some teenage delinquents trespassing around the Mount Tabor Reservoir No. 5 in Portland, Oregon. One of them was seen peeing through the fence.

National Geographic ScienceBlogs: On the Back of an Envelope: That Glass of Water in a Restaurant?

And as appropriate, there is growing debate about what we, as citizens, communities, corporations, and governments should do to tackle water shortages and the bigger question of sustainable water policy.

Do Businesses in the U.S. Have an Enlightened Self-Interest in Sustainable Water Management?

Water challenges are not just an issue for companies with operations and/or suppliers in developing countries; they are confronting businesses here and now in the United States.

Bridging Concern with Action: Are US Companies Prepared for Looming Water Challenges?

In an attempt to gain insight into corporate perceptions of risks associated with water issues and plans to address these challenges, in 2013 and 2014 the Pacific Institute and VOX Global surveyed over 50 companies across industry sectors, the majority Fortune 500 and publicly traded.

What to Do About California’s Drought

Colorado River Flows into the Delta

The Colorado River flows again! Last Sunday – the day after World Water Day - I joined more than 200 people in an impromptu celebration at Morelos Dam, welcoming the return of water...

Huffington Post: The State of Our Water: World Water Day 2014

Welcome to World Water Day 2014. As I said last year, I think every day should be World Water Day, not just March 22nd, but hey, we take what we can get.

10 Shocking Facts about the World’s Water

3.4 million people—mainly children— die as a result of preventable water-related diseases every year. 1.2 billion people—nearly 20 percent of the world’s population—live in areas of physical water scarcity. What does that mean? Water withdrawals for agriculture, industry, and domestic purposes exceed 75 percent of river flows.

With Water, California’s Bigfoot is Imported

As during most droughts, discussions of how to allocate dwindling water supplies have intensified across California. One stirring piece of the debate has pivoted around using water to produce food that is exported outside of California.

7 Things You Need to Know about California Water

In California, an estimated 19% of the state’s electricity use and 32% of all natural gas consumption are related to water. For perspective, consider that leaving the hot water running for five minutes uses as much energy as operating a 60-W light bulb for 14 hours.

National Geographic ScienceBlog: Clarifying the Discussion about California Drought and Climate Change

In the last few months, as the severe California drought has garnered attention among scientists, policymakers, and media, there has been a growing debate about the links between the drought and climate change.

It’s My Drought! And Yours. Face it.

The California drought has everyone wondering what we can do. Well, we can’t make it rain.

Peter Gleick Testifies on Urban Water Use Efficiency for State Water Resources Control Board

Peter Gleick testified on February 26, 2014 on strategies for addressing the California drought to the California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) to

Rural Water Systems Struggle in the Good Times and the Bad

The current drought is shaping up to be particularly damaging to small and rural communities.

Finding Light (and Water) at the End of the (Drought) Tunnel, on the Farm and for the Future

With all the flurry of attention surrounding the drought these days, it’s hard not to feel overwhelmed by the bleak future of California’s water.

National Geographic ScienceBlogs: Learning from Drought: Five Priorities for California

Droughts – especially severe droughts – are terribly damaging events. The human and ecosystem costs can be enormous, as we may relearn during the current California drought.

California’s “Bellwether” Drought

It is time to recognize the serious California drought for what it is: a bellwether of things to come; a harbinger of even more serious challenges to California water resources allocation, management, and use.

Defining Water Scarcity, Water Stress, and Water Risk

Over the past couple years, the Pacific Institute’s Corporate Sustainability Program, in its role with the UN Global Compact’s CEO Water Mandate, has been developing the Corporate Water Disclosure Guidelines, which provide a common framework for how companies can report water-related information to stakeholders in a meaningful manner.

Infographic: What to Expect from California’s Drought

While our weather-beaten friends in the Midwest and Northeast braced for near-record low temperatures and polar vortex snowstorms, Californians rang in the New Year with a rainless January.

What Californians Can Expect from the Drought

California has a “Mediterranean” climate, which means that each year it has a concentrated rainy season, followed by a long temperate and dry period. California’s rainy season typically runs from early October to late March, with very little precipitation outside of these months.

The World’s Water, Volume 8

The eighth volume in this highly regarded series, The World’s Water, Volume 8 features chapters on hydraulic fracturing (fracking), water footprints, sustainable water jobs, and desalination financing, among other timely issues. Water briefs provide concise updates on topics including the Dead Sea and the role of water in the Syrian conflict.