JANUARY 2026

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Water Resilience Coalition Convene Leaders at Davos

At the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, the Water Resilience Coalition (WRC) convened business leaders advancing measurable water resilience outcomes. The Coalition reported progress across 24 critical basins, engagement from 42 member companies, more than $500 million mobilized for water stewardship, and 63 million people enabled with improved water access.

During the convening, the WRC announced a strategic partnership with the World Economic Forum and welcomed Reckitt as Co-Chair of the Water Investment Pathway—reinforcing momentum toward scaling basin-level impact and mobilizing finance ahead of 2030.

New Paper Launched—The CSRD-PWI Crosswalk: A Stewardship Journey to Reporting and Positive Water Impact

As climate change intensifies water stress worldwide, corporate water stewardship is increasingly recognized as a strategic imperative for business resilience.

The CEO Water Mandate, Water Resilience Coalition, and Anthesis Group have released a new CSRD–Positive Water Impact (PWI) Crosswalk paper exploring how the EU’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) aligns with the PWI framework. The paper demonstrates that CSRD and PWI are highly complementary—linking regulatory disclosure requirements with practical, step-by-step guidance to drive strategic, basin-level action.

The analysis shows that the systems companies establish for CSRD compliance—such as risk identification, data governance, and integration into core business strategy—form the foundation for achieving positive water impact. By viewing CSRD as a catalyst for resilience-building and PWI as a strategic vision, companies can turn regulatory pressure into long-term value creation.

This living document reflects CSRD requirements as of October 2025 and will be updated as the directive evolves.

HIGHLIGHTS

Morgan Shimabuku Featured on The Observer’s Sensemaker Podcast

Pacific Institute Senior Research Specialist Morgan Shimabuku was featured on The Observer’s Sensemaker podcast, discussing the Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology and rising global trends in water-related conflict.



Maintained by the Pacific Institute, the Chronology is the world’s most comprehensive open-source database on water-related violence and now includes more than 2,750 documented incidents, revealing a clear escalation in recent decades.

Michael Cohen Featured on KJZZ to Discuss Colorado River Deadlines

Pacific Institute Senior Fellow Michael Cohen was featured on KJZZ 91.5 FM Phoenix, where he spoke with Mark Brodie about the Colorado River and upcoming decision points facing basin states. The conversation explored the policy, incentives, and timelines shaping the river’s future and was based on a recent blog by Cohen.

Water Conflict Chronology Featured by New Security Beat

The Pacific Institute’s Water Conflict Chronology was recently featured by New Security Beat at the Stimson Center. The article highlights the growing scope of water-related violence worldwide and the importance of data-driven insights to inform prevention and response strategies.

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 3 | Shannon Spurlock to Moderate Panel at NYWEA Annual Conference

Pacific Institute Senior Engagement Specialist Shannon Spurlock will moderate a panel at the New York Water Environment Association 2026 Annual Conference.

The session, “Leading in the Age of ‘Be Ready for Anything, Anytime” will examine how utilities and communities can navigate regulatory uncertainty, affordability pressures, workforce challenges, and organizational resilience.

February 5 | Dr. Ashok Chapagain to be Featured at Nature & Biodiversity Peer Group Strategy Days

Pacific Institute Senior Research Specialist Dr. Ashok Chapagain will present the Pacific Institute's pioneering work at the Nature & Biodiversity Peer Group Strategy Days in London. This event marks a significant milestone, as water has been integrated as a core strategic element for the first time in this influential forum.

He will showcase our critical research and guidance on Positive Water Impact, Basin Collaboratives, and Resilient Value Chains. His presentation will position strategic water stewardship as an essential foundation for effective corporate nature and biodiversity strategies, sharing actionable insights with a global peer audience.

February 10 | California Water Resilience Initiative Webinar: 2026 Kick-Off

The California Water Resilience Initiative (CWRI) is a time-bound initiative to achieve a quantitative water target through accelerated corporate engagement in California water projects and policy. CWRI was established to address the ambitions of the CEO Water Mandate’s Water Resilience Coalition to mobilize corporate water stewardship in 100 basins globally, and was the first basin to organize.

This CWRI webinar will set the stage for the year ahead and continue the conversation on how innovative finance models can help scale water resilience solutions across California.

February 12 | Biodiversity Benefit Accounting Webinar

Join the official launch of Biodiversity Benefit Accounting (BioBA) —a practical, science-based framework for identifying, measuring, and communicating biodiversity benefits within water stewardship and nature-based projects.

The webinar will introduce the BioBA seven-step methodology and demonstrate how it supports credible, nature-positive outcomes.

February 17-19 | Pacific Institute and WRC Leaders Featured at GreenBiz 26

We are thrilled to be partnering at GreenBiz 26. Join us in Phoenix, AZ to connect with nearly 2,500 peers and 300+ expert speakers tackling the most pressing challenges in decarbonization, sustainable finance, nature, supply chains, reporting, and Water!

Jason Morrison, President and CEO of the Pacific Institute, and Matt Kistler, CEO of the Water Resilience Coalition, will be featured speakers in the sessions “What It Takes to Lead on Water in the Years Ahead” and “How Hyperscalers Are Addressing Water and Energy in Data Centers.”

Save 20% off your registration with our partner code GB26WRC.

February 17 | Ensuring Law and Policy Enables Climate Resilient Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Webinar

This webinar will dive into a recent Pacific Institute and Center for Water Security and Cooperation (CWSC) report, "Actionable Criteria for Achieving Equitable, Climate Resilient Water and Sanitation Laws and Policies."

This fourth report in the Water, Sanitation, and Climate Change in the United States series offers the most comprehensive framework to date for assessing whether US laws are supporting or hindering our ability to secure safe, reliable water and sanitation in a changing climate. 

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