Search Results

California’s Major Reservoirs Are Still Far Drier Than Average

Mai-Lan Ha Promoted to Pacific Institute’s Executive Team as Associate Director of Corporate Water Stewardship and Deputy Head of the CEO Water Mandate

December 8, 2021, Oakland, California – The Pacific Institute today announced Mai-Lan Ha has been promoted to join its executive team as Associate Director of Corporate Water Stewardship and Deputy Head of the CEO Water Mandate.

Column: This Proposed Ballot Measure Would Make You Pay for the AG Industry’s Water Inefficiency

COP26: A Bold Step Forward for the Water Resilience Agenda

With the 26th UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) now in the rearview mirror, three things are clear: 1) the water agenda received significantly more attention than previous COPs, 2) resilience and adaptation are gaining powerful traction alongside climate mitigation, and 3) the corporate sector has the opportunity to lead in this critical next stage of the climate crisis by turning commitments into tangible action. 

November 2021 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.

The U.S. Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act: Water Components

On November 5, 2021, the U.S. Congress passed President Biden’s major infrastructure bill, HR 3684, the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The President is expected to sign the bill into law.

An Assessment of Oil and Gas Water Cycle Reporting in California

In the context of severe drought in California, Senate Bill 1281 (2014, Pavley) expanded reporting requirements for the state's oil and gas industry regarding produced water — the water extracted from oil and gas production. The intention of the bill is to ensure the ability to assess impacts on California’s water resources, public health, and the environment.

The U.S. Infrastructure Plan: Water Components 

On November 5, 2021, the U.S. Congress passed President Biden’s major infrastructure bill, HR 3684, the $1.2 trillion ‘‘Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.” The President is expected to sign the bill into law. The bill is the largest single federal investment in infrastructure in a generation, with the funds to be expended over five years...

Op-Ed: Does the Bay Area Have the Water It Needs to Grow?

It seems as though the two things the Bay Area has the least of are housing and water. The region has a shortfall of 699,000 housing units, which has driven housing costs to astronomical heights, and pushed 35,000 of our neighbors into temporary housing or onto the streets. Our colleagues at San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR),a public policy think tank, have found that the region needs to build an astonishing 2.2 million homes by 2070 to meet future demand and make up for the present shortfall.

Pacific Institute: An Urgent Call to Build Water Resilience

The world is facing a global water crisis marked by growing competition for freshwater resources, rapidly deteriorating water quality, poor and declining ecosystem health, unprecedented biodiversity loss, and a failure to meet basic water and sanitation needs. This crisis is exacerbated by population growth, unsustainable consumption patterns, and, increasingly, climate change.

Pacific Institute Launches Water Resilience Issue Brief, Calls on Decision-makers to Rapidly Scale Water Resilience Solutions in Build-Up to COP26 

Never before have the global water and climate agendas been so closely linked. More than 30 years ago, the Pacific Institute made some of the earliest projections about how climate change would wreak havoc on the water cycle. Today, we see many of these impacts before our very eyes. Amid climate change, intensifying floods and droughts have affected people, nature, and economies.

Water Resilience

The world is facing a global water crisis marked by growing competition for freshwater resources, rapidly deteriorating water quality, poor and declining ecosystem health, unprecedented biodiversity loss, and a failure to meet basic water and sanitation needs.

COP26 Is a Unique Moment in Time for Water and Climate

As we approach COP26 in Glasgow, the Pacific Institute recognizes how pivotal this United Nations Climate Change Conference will be in advancing water on the global climate agenda. After decades of work by water leaders to integrate water and climate solutions, COP26 presents a unique moment in time.

Meet Six People Fighting Water Scarcity Across the Globe

California’s Drought Emergency Puts the State’s Vulnerable Communities at Risk — Again

New Article Tackles Global Water Scarcity

October 24, 2021, Oakland, California -- The article "Freshwater Scarcity" was recently published in the Annual Review of Environment and Resources. The availability and use of fresh water are critical for human health and for economic and ecosystem stability.

Freshwater Scarcity

The availability and use of fresh water are critical for human health and for economic and ecosystem stability. But the growing mismatch between human demands and natural freshwater availability is contributing to water scarcity, affecting industrial and agricultural production and a wide range of social, economic, and political problems, including poverty, deterioration of ecosystem health, and violent conflicts.

October 2021 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.

San Francisco Bay Area Can Build More Housing Without Using More Water, Finds Report

October 21, Oakland, California – Today the Pacific Institute and SPUR released Water for a Growing Bay Area. The San Francisco Bay Area is projected to add two million jobs by 2070, attracting millions more people. To prevent housing from becoming even more unaffordable, the region needs to build 2.2 million new housing units.

Water for a Growing Bay Area: How the Region Can Grow Without Increasing Water Demand

The San Francisco Bay Area is projected to add two million jobs by 2070, attracting millions more people. To prevent housing from becoming even more unaffordable, the region needs to build 2.2 million new housing units.

Testimony on Colorado River Drought Conditions and Response Measures to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife

Pacific Institute Senior Researcher Michael Cohen submitted written testimony to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans, and Wildlife for their October 20, 2021 hearing on drought conditions in the Colorado River Basin and potential response measures.

Newsom Declares Statewide Drought Emergency, Urges California to Conserve Water

Newsom Declares Drought Emergency Across California

Pacific Institute: An Urgent Call to Build Water Resilience

The concept of water resilience has emerged recently in response to growing recognition of a more variable and uncertain future. In this video, Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison calls for accelerated action towards global water resilience.

Energy Needs to Be Part of SGMA Conversation, New Report Says