Access to  clean, affordable, and accessible water remains unrealized in many California communities. A new Pacific Institute  report investigates what realizing the human right to water would mean for Californians in terms that are concrete, measurable, and aligned with prevailing laws and norms in the state. 

Read more here. 

 

A new paper co-authored by the Pacific Institute and the World Resources Institute finds that a wide range of water-related risks undermine human well-being and can contribute to political instability, violent conflict, human displacement and migration, and acute food insecurity, which in turn can undermine national, regional, and even global security. The paper describes and illustrates water and security pathways and presents multi-faceted approaches for reducing water-related risks to global security.

Read more about the paper here. Read the related blog post, "Water is a Source of Growing Tension and Violence in the Middle East," here. 

 

A new report co-authored by the Pacific Institute and produced by The Water Research Foundation aims to help water planners and managers improve the reliability of long-term water demand forecasts by more accurately accounting for water-efficiency improvements. 

Read more here. View a recording of the related webinar here. 

 

In a new paper published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, President Emeritus Peter Gleick discusses the concept of resource transitions with a focus on freshwater resources, and presents examples of how infrastructure, water use, and public perceptions are transforming to adapt to water-related crises worldwide.

Read more here.

 

In August, the UN Global Compact's CEO Water Mandate, which the Pacific Institute is co-secretariat for, convened it's 2018 Annual Multi-Stakeholder Meeting and held a number of sessions during World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden. The sessions were attended by over 120 participants and covered a wide range of topics, from corporate water targets to private sector support of integrated water resource management. 

The Pacific Institute also collaborated with the Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnership at World Water Week. WPS seeks to design innovative tools and services to identify water shortage-related security risks and to mitigate and prevent human security risks. 

In August, President Emeritus Peter Gleick was awarded the 2018 Carl Sagan Prize for Science Popularization. The prize recognizes researchers who have contributed to the public understanding and appreciation of science. 

Read more  here.

On September 20th, the California State Water Resources Control Board will hear an update on the status of the Natural Resources Agency's Salton Sea Management Program and its progress toward meeting the requirement to construct 500 acres of habitat and dust control projects by the end of this year.

The Pacific Institute has played an active role at the Salton Sea for nearly two decades, releasing leading reports on the Sea such as Hazard's Toll: The Costs of Inaction at the Salton Sea.

Learn more about this event here.  View current Salton Sea data here. 

Across India, and particularly in the nation's big metropolitan regions, farmers are raising their crops with untreated wastewater. Medical specialists say farmers and their families risk serious disease from exposure to harmful sewage-borne microorganisms and metals. In addition, scientists have measured unsafe levels of heavy metals and other toxic substances in Indian crops that, if consumed, pose a public health threat. 

 

Cities and companies are employing new technologies to adapt to growing global water risk.  The Pacific Institute is a proud partner of VERGE 18 from October 16th to 18th, a conference and expo that will convene more than 2,500 leaders from around the globe to explore scalable, cross-cutting solutions at the intersection of technology and sustainability within three dynamic and influential markets: the circular economy, clean energy, and transportation and mobility.

Learn more here. The early bird discount expires Sept. 21st. Use coupon code V18PIT. 

September 18: Research Director Heather Cooley will participate in a panel at the Bay Planning Coalition's 2018 Energy & Water Nexus Summit in Oakland, California. 

October 15: Senior Researcher Sarah Diringer will present at the California Stormwater Quality Association Annual Conference in Riverside, California.     

October 16-19: Senior Researcher Anne Thebo will present at the US Committee on Irrigation and Drainage Annual International Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.  

Keep an eye out for more upcoming staff events on our news page. Read the list of Pacific Institute experts' past outreach here.

Esquire: The Water Crises Aren't Coming, They're Here

Top 1000 Funds: Water Risk is Real, Experts Warn

Bay Area Monitor: Capturing Stormwater and Other Worthwhile Pursuits

Smart Cities Dive: Water Works: Preserving Water Amenity Accessibility in Cities 

Read more news stories and op-eds featuring the Pacific Institute here.