May 2020
Featured Blog Post: The Environment, Climate, and a Global Pandemic
By Dr. Peter Gleick, President Emeritus
"We have an opportunity to invest in clean air and water strategies and technologies; build clean energy systems to eliminate fossil fuels; expand electric vehicle programs and phase out polluting transportation; open our cities to pedestrians and bicycles; and protect natural ecosystems in new ways that enhance rather than destroy chances for wildlife," writes Dr. Gleick. "But grabbing that opportunity is going to require public awareness and pressure to make permanent some of the improvements we now can only glimpse because of this crisis."

Read more here .
Featured Blog Post: How Can the World Avoid the Spread of Future Pandemics?
By Giuliana Chaves Moreira, Research Associate
Swift corporate action in Brazil in response to COVID-19 shows the business sector can bring different sectors together quickly and effectively to scale action. This is an important lesson as factors like climate change and population growth reshape our world. Moving forward, we will need “all hands on board” to ensure equity and the sustainable use of resources, writes Ms. Moreira.

Read more here .
Featured Blog Post: Want to Help Fight COVID-19? List Your Organization’s Work on the Water Action Hub
By Lillian Holmes, Research Associate
People around the world are told to wash their hands to “flatten the curve” and slow the spread of COVID-19, but what if you don’t have a sink or tap? Businesses, NGOS, and communities can explore opportunities for action and collaboration on the Water Action Hub’s COVID-19/Novel Coronavirus portal . The portal allows users to share knowledge and best practices and find projects and partners.  

Learn more here .
New Release: Mapping Public Water Management
Poor water management poses major risks to agriculture, industry, and local communities. Presently, a critical lack of information available about local water conditions makes better management difficult. A new technical note from the Pacific Institute and the World Resources Institute presents a questionnaire for companies to map water risk, with the aim of better public water management through crowd-sourced data.

Learn more here .
California Water Action Collaborative Spring Meeting
From May 26th through 28th, Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison, along with Director of Research Heather Cooley and Research Associate Cora Kammeyer, will participate in the California Water Action Collaborative (CWAC) virtual spring meeting. CWAC brings diverse stakeholders together including environmental organizations, food and beverage companies, agricultural producers, and others to pursue collective action projects aimed at improving California’s water security.

Learn more here .
Jason Morrison to Attend UN Global Compact Leaders Summit
On June 15th and 16th, Pacific Institute President Jason Morrison will attend the virtual UN Global Compact Leaders Summit . This year’s summit marks 20 years of bringing businesses around the world together to advance sustainability. 

Learn more here .
Update from the CEO Water Mandate: The Water Stewardship Toolbox
The Pacific Institute is Co-Secretariat of the CEO Water Mandate, a UN Global Compact initiative that mobilizes business leaders on water, sanitation, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals. 
The Water Stewardship Toolbox is a free online library of over 500 resources, including reports, tools, datasets, case studies, and more from organizations around the world. Just in the last year, we have added over 100 resources to the Toolbox:




Explore the full Water Stewardship Toolbox he re .
Meet Our Spring Communications Intern: Sophia Chupein
Sophia says one of the aspects of the communications internship at the Pacific Institute she has enjoyed most is “learning about the possible solutions to both citywide and global water conflict issues. Especially in developed nations, it can sometimes be easy to forget that we are intrinsically dependent on our environment, and that we need to ensure that the limited resources we have are accessible to everyone,” she explains. 

Read more here .
Upcoming Events:  May and June 2020
May 26-28 : President Jason Morrison, Director of Research Heather Cooley, and Research Associate Cora Kammeyer will participate in the California Water Action Collaborative virtual spring meeting.

June 15-16 : Mr. Morrison will attend the virtual UN Global Compact Leaders Summit.

Keep an eye out for more upcoming staff events on our  announcements page .
Pacific Institute in the News
NBC : What the US’ Response to Coronavirus Can Teach Us About Climate Change

NBC : Impacts of Water Usage During Coronavirus Pandemic

CNBC : Coronavirus Halts Climate Research and Raises Fears of Long-Term Hit to Science Budgets

NRDC Blog : Data Show Millions at Risk of Water Shutoffs During COVID-19

CALMatters Commentary: Opportunities Are Plentiful to Sustain California Agriculture in the Face of Water Supply Uncertainties

Read more news featuring Pacific Institute research and experts here .
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