December 2018
The Pacific Institute: A Global Water Think Tank
As societies around the world adapt to increasing water stress, pricing water properly, fine-tuning water laws and regulations, and leveraging society’s ability to adapt and innovate are becoming increasingly important. This EuropeNow double issue from the Council for European Studies at Columbia University examines water challenges and responses in Europe and around the world. Profiling several water centers and institutes, including the Pacific Institute, it examines various approaches to water resilience.

Read the profile of the Pacific Institute here. Read the entire issue here.
Blog Post: The Fourth National Climate Assessment Has Stark Messages on Water. Here’s What it Means for U.S. Businesses.
By Research Associate Cora Kammeyer
We can expect to see greater extremes in water events in the U.S., including drier, more prolonged droughts and more frequent and intense storms. High quality, fit-for-purpose water will become scarcer and less reliable for users across the board.

In order to achieve a climate-resilient, water-secure economy and society, businesses must go beyond tackling the problems in their own operations and seek to be solutions-providers across their values chains, writes Ms. Kammeyer.

Read more here.
Water and Sanitation Access in California
Earlier this month, Senior Researcher Dr. Laura Feinstein led a workshop on the findings and recommendations of the Pacific Institute report “Measuring Progress Toward Universal Access to Water and Sanitation in California” in Sacramento, California. 

View the presentation here and the slides here. Learn more about the workshop here.
Update from Circle of Blue, An Affiliate of the Pacific Institute: Water Scarcity in India
The country that pumps more groundwater than any other has reached a water supply and food safety reckoning that threatens to upend political and economic stability and long-term public health. In this special report, building on years of on-the-ground coverage, Circle of Blue reveals how a nation of 1.3 billion people, by failing to protect its water, is courting disease and economic hardship as well as social upheaval. 

Read more here. Visit Circle of Blue's website here.
Meet Our Staff: Terry Asbury, Executive Assistant and Office Manager
After more than nine years at the Pacific Institute, Terry Asbury still remembers her initial interview. “I was really excited when they asked me if I had a passport,” she recalls, “But the most I ended up traveling for the Institute was moving my desk from downstairs to upstairs and back down again!” After nearly a decade serving the Pacific Institute, at the end of December Terry will embrace retirement, a bittersweet transition for her colleagues at the Institute’s home office in Oakland.

Read more here.
Upcoming Events: January 2019
January 11: Senior Researcher Dr. Laura Feinstein will present on indicators of adequate water and sanitation service at the California State Water Resources Control Board staff workshop "Factors Identifying 'At Risk' Water Systems" in Sacramento, California.

January 28: Dr. Feinstein will join the Independent Review Panel at the public meeting on the Department of Conservation’s Underground Injection Control Program at California State University, Bakersfield in Bakersfield, California.

Keep an eye out for more upcoming staff events on our news page . Read the list of Pacific Institute experts’ past outreach here .
Pacific Institute In the News
Retro Report: Why Earth's Driest Places May Hold the Key to the Future of Water

"What we think of as normal, and what we planned for as normal, and the infrastructure we built to deal with normal isn't normal anymore. Normal is gone," explains Dr. Peter Gleick in this Retro Report documentary on potential solutions to global water scarcity.

Voice of America: International Edition

"The impacts we see today are the consequence of not having taken action 10 and 20 years ago to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. If we had paid attention to the science information that we had 20 years ago when the first national climate assessment came out, the impacts we'd be seeing today would be much less," explains Dr. Gleick in this Voice of America interview.

Circle of Blue: Counting Homes Cut Off From Water Is A Data Collection Nightmare

A recent fact sheet by Dr. Feinstein of the Pacific Institute recommends California utilities submit consistent, comparable data on water service disconnections, at minimum documenting whether a home is occupied or unoccupied when water is shut off. Read more about this issue in Circle of Blue here.
Donations Doubled Through December 31st
Sustainable water policies are a must for a world in which society, the economy, and the environment have the water they need to thrive, now and in the future. With your support, we can continue our work to make this vision a reality. Through December 31st, your donation will be doubled thanks to a $60,000 match from generous board members.
The Pacific Institute is Seeking a Spring 2019 Communications Intern
The Pacific Institute is seeking a Spring Communications Intern to help us promote our work and track our impact. Join our dedicated team to help put the spotlight on water issues around the world.

Learn more about this opportunity here.
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