Water News

Indigenous People from Ecuador to Louisiana Forge Alliances Against Global Oil Spills

NEW! Water Law Twitter Feed

Move

Display 0 | 1 Posts

The Daily Stream

Newest Article

February 3: Fixing U.S. Water Infrastructure

It will take $US 1 trillion over the next 25 years to fix the water infrastructure in the United States, according to an estimate by the American Water Works Association, Bloomberg News reported.

Energy
PetroChina purchased a 20 percent stake in a Canadian shale gas project, strengthening China’s presence in North America’s energy markets, according to Reuters.

The United Kingdom is considering new nuclear reactors that would use radioactive waste to provide enough electricity for 500 years, the Guardian reported. The reactors would help dispose of Britain’s cache of plutonium and depleted uranium.

The United States plans to auction and issue leases for offshore wind farms by the end of 2012, Bloomberg News reported.

Climate
Police in Chile arrested a man for allegedly stealing five tonnes of ice from one of the world’s fastest shrinking glaciers, according to the Guardian.

Astronomers discovered a new planet 4.5 times as massive as Earth with a climate suitable for liquid water and life, UPI reported.

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Study Outlines Plans to Stop Asian Carp at Chicago

Three proposals for separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River watershed could block the flow of aquatic invasive species while re-envisioning water management in Chicago, a new study says.

Economics and Water Concerns Alter the Solar Landscape in the US West

The falling price of photovoltaic panels and public concerns about aquifers and rivers in the western United States are boosting solar energy technologies that save water.

Pollution, Dry Weather Choke the World’s Major Lakes

Urban waste and falling water levels signaled a rough start to 2012 for some of the world’s largest and most iconic freshwater lakes.

Visions of Solar Energy’s Future Compete in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

The U.S. government is in the process of designating more than 6,000 hectacres of federal land for solar energy development. As companies line up to submit projects, some valley residents are questioning the centralized model of energy generation and are, instead, trying to shape an independent energy future.

State of the Union: New Economics of Energy Production Tilts Obama’s “All-of-the-Above” Strategy One Way

In the era of deficit and disinvestment, water-intensive fossil fuel production is overwhelming the water-sipping clean energy sector.

Peter Gleick: Mining California Groundwater – The Cadiz Project

A private company, Cadiz Inc. (Cadiz), has revived plans to mine groundwater underlying land in the delicate Eastern Mojave Desert. This project revives fundamental questions about how we manage our precious water resources, and in particular, whether in the 21st century it is appropriate, or even necessary, to use renewable water resources in a nonrenewable and unsustainable way, for short-term profit.

Ned Breslin: Lessons From Polio

One of my best friends fell victim to polio as a child, as he describes in this Frontline story from PBS.

Peter Gleick: Climate Change, Disbelief, and the Collision between Human and Geologic Time

Geologic time scales are long – too long for the human mind to really comprehend. Over millions, and tens of millions, and hundreds of millions of years, the Earth has changed from something unrecognizable to the planet we see on maps, plastic globes, and photos from space.

Obama Administration to Reject Keystone XL Pipeline

However, the company building the pipeline will be invited to re-appl,y after finding a new route through Nebraska, according to a government official.

Water Law: Public Trust May Be Fresh Approach to Protecting Great Lakes

Canadian and American advocates join to promote big oversight idea of the "commons."

Food vs. Water: High Commodity Prices Complicate Aquifer Protection in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Decades of groundwater pumping have left one of the San Luis Valley aquifers in a perilous state. To restore its health — and the foundation of the local economy — valley leaders are developing a plan to pay farmers to fallow up to 16,000 hectares. But with commodity prices soaring, will anyone go for it, or will the state have to step in?

U.S. Administration Bans Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon

The decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior was applauded by environmental groups for protecting the Colorado River watershed and criticized by industry organizations for hurting jobs and energy security.

Update: China Completes Tunnel Under Yellow River for South-North Water Transfer Project

China is on target to begin transferring water from the Yangtze River Basin to Hebei, Shandong, and Tianjin by 2013.

Advance of the Invader: Asian Carp Continue March to Northern Waters

Live carp have been found in North Dakota and past the electric barriers in Chicago. As the carp push forward, Michigan and other Great Lakes states are once again asking the U.S. Supreme Court to speed up action to stop the advance of the invader.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Choke Point: China

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Update: China Completes Tunnel Under Yellow River for South-North Water Transfer Project

China is on target to begin transferring water from the Yangtze River Basin to Hebei, Shandong, and Tianjin by 2013.

Choke Point: China on Wilson Center’s Dialogue Program

On Wednesday evening, dialogue — an award-winning television and radio program that explores the world of ideas through weekly, half-hour conversations with renowned public figures, scholars, journalists, and authors — will feature "Choke Point: The World's Looming Water Crisis."

Infographic: China’s Water Pollution Events and Protection Policies (2004-2011)

China has some of the dirtiest and most dangerous water in the world. This detailed and interactive timeline shows key pollution events, protests, and policy reforms from the last eight years at both the national and regional levels as China tries to clean up its act.

EIA Report: Global Energy Use To Double by 2035 — Half of Increase from Fossil Fuels in China and India

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently published its annual report on global energy projections. Though renewable energy sources and nuclear power, along with unconventional fossil fuels, will phase out coal production over the next two decades, it will not be at the pace necessary to offset greenhouse gas emissions

Building China’s 21st-century Megacity: Shanghai’s Experiment with Water and Nature

A new community on the Yangtze River has, so far, been more successful at attracting ducks than people. But city officials have their sights set high for Lingang Port City, which they say could be home to nearly a million people by 2050. Cleaner water will be a big help.

China Turns Profit From Coal-to-liquid Fuels Production, May Expand Controversial Program

Though China suspended most of its coal-to-liquid fuels refineries in 2008 due to concerns for scarce water resources and high production costs, recent financial gains may lead it to reconsider its policy.

Video: Confronting Water Scarcity & Energy Demand in China

Choke Point: China is an on-the-ground report that displays in text, photographs, and interactive graphics the powerful evidence of a potentially ruinous confrontation between growth, water, and fuel that is already visible across China; a confrontation that is virtually certain to grow more dire over the next decade.

China to Cap Energy Use by 2015 in National Low-Carbon Plan

The energy target will be the highlight of a document to come later this year, as well as a cornerstone of China's efforts to curb soaring greenhouse gas emissions, which currently stand at a quarter of the global total. Cutting coal consumption will inevitably also cut water use, as coal is China's largest industrial user of water.

Infographic: Map of Pollution Levels in China’s Major River Basins

The seven major river basins, as a whole, have had steady improvements in water quality over the past decade.

Double Choke Point: Demand for Energy Tests Water Supply and Economic Stability in China and the U.S.

The cords of energy demand and water supply are tightening around the world's two largest economies.

Photo Slideshow: Xilinhot, City of Coal on the Inner Mongolia Steppe

Xilinhot—an Inner Mongolian outpost of 177,000 residents, separated from Beijing by a 12-hour train ride—is at the center of the Xilin Gol Grassland, one of China's largest prairies and livestock production regions. The north's coal mines, trucks, and power plants of Inner Mongolia are representative of the nation's coal dependency, a lifeline with an insatiable thirst for water.

Energy Economy Brings Change to Shepherd Life: Modernization Comes to the Dry Grasslands of Inner Mongolia

Along the vast frozen grasslands, 23-year-old Wu Yun and her father, Bao Zhu, tend their flock of sheep and cattle. Just over the ridge, the northern city of Xilinhot is booming as the coal industry continues to expand. But it will take a lot of water to feed both the city and the mining.

Rains Bring Relief For Six-Month China Drought, But Chronic Water Problems Loom

Although now satiated, the dry spell is the latest in a growing trend of severe water shortages threatening China's food production, energy generation, and accelerating modernization.

Infographic: Interactive Timeline Mapping China’s Drought-ridden Provinces Since 2007

Water scarcity is becoming an increasingly persistent problem for China, with droughts affecting several regions over the last four years.

Photo Slideshow: Food and Farmers — China’s Other Challenge

The farm sector and the coal sector together made up 85 percent of water used in China last year. These photos take a look at the people and places affected by rising energy demand, accelerating modernization, and diminishing freshwater resources.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Infographics

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Infographic: Unprescribed — Drugs in the Water Cycle

In 2009, 3.9 billion prescriptions were dispensed in the United States, and an estimated 10 to 40 percent of medicines are not used. With 78 million baby boomers reaching the age when prescription drug use will increase, how will this affect environmental and drinking water?

Infographic: China’s Water Pollution Events and Protection Policies (2004-2011)

China has some of the dirtiest and most dangerous water in the world. This detailed and interactive timeline shows key pollution events, protests, and policy reforms from the last eight years at both the national and regional levels as China tries to clean up its act.

Infographic: WASH and Urbanization — Providing Sanitation and Water Services by Country

Entry in the 2011 Urban Water Design Challenge, sponsored by Visualizing.org and Circle of Blue.

Interactive Map: U.S. Cities Acting Now to Reduce Water Risk from Climate Change

A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council describes water threats and adaptations in a dozen American cities.

Infographic: Wild Rice is Keystone Species for Upper Great Lakes Region

Wild Rice is an aquatic grass that is harvested annually for its nutritious grain. Throughout its growth cycle, wild rice encounters many external threats, both environmental and human-made, which are being compounded by the effects of climate change.

Infographic: Map of Pollution Levels in China’s Major River Basins

The seven major river basins, as a whole, have had steady improvements in water quality over the past decade.

Infographic: An Elemental Concern—Arsenic in Drinking Water

Arsenic is both naturally occurring and artificially produced, and the toxin is very dangerous since it often has no color, taste, or smell. This graphic breaks down how arsenic gets into drinking water supplies and how arsenic affects the U.S. on the state level.

Infographic: Interactive Timeline Mapping China’s Drought-ridden Provinces Since 2007

Water scarcity is becoming an increasingly persistent problem for China, with droughts affecting several regions over the last four years.

Infographic: Fracking Imports and Exports in Europe — Natural Gas Reserves, Production, and Consumption by Country

How do shale gas reserves measure up in European countries?

Infographic: How Desalination Works

What is the process, and how much energy does it take? This video describes two common methods—reverse osmosis and flash distillation—for obtaining water from the sea.

Infographic: Underground Coal Conversion — Creating Fuels and Fertilizers With Less Water

Though the chemistry and industrial processes for coal gasification were developed early in the 20th century by European scientists, Chinese engineers have recently developed a number of technical advances. And more efficient processes means using less coal to produce more chemicals.

Infographic: China Leads Top 10 Coal Producing and Consuming Nations

Since 2000, global coal consumption has grown faster than any other fuel, with the biggest market for coal in Asia. Although China tops the global list for both coal consumption and production, the nation has emerged as the world's leading builder of clean coal technology.

Infographic: Tree Map of Freshwater Withdrawal by Country — A Comparison Between Continents

Does the population of a country affects to its freshwater withdrawal? and its geographic location? Are there differences between Continents? and within them? How the availability of freshwater is spread around the economic sectors?

Infographic: Three Types of Coal Mining—Process and Facts

Opencast mining involves scraping at the ground's surface, while room and pillar mining occurs below ground. Likewise, longwall mining uses heavy machinery to dig at coal seams beneath the surface: learn more in this interactive inforgraphic.

Infographic: Three Eras of Water — The History of the Relationship Between Civilization and Nature

The infographic portrays the evolution of water technology, including its immediate successes of human progress and the disadvantages of that progress. Based on an essay by Peter Gleick, the scientific, social, and historical findings are translated into this piece, putting those patterns in a contemporary light.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Choke Point: China in Chinese

Newest Article

Recent Articles

中国庞大的调水工程功效未卜干旱的北方焦渴等待

当局希望新的西线工程通过审批，将水通向西部的能源储备地。

借助水权转换和高技术电站缓解中国北方能源与水资源的冲突

中国沿黄河开展雄心勃勃的节约用水和水权转换计划以应对迫在眉睫的水资源危机

中国之瓶颈：水匮乏与能源需求

愈演愈烈的具有全球意义的资源困境

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Business

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Visions of Solar Energy’s Future Compete in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

The U.S. government is in the process of designating more than 6,000 hectacres of federal land for solar energy development. As companies line up to submit projects, some valley residents are questioning the centralized model of energy generation and are, instead, trying to shape an independent energy future.

State of the Union: New Economics of Energy Production Tilts Obama’s “All-of-the-Above” Strategy One Way

In the era of deficit and disinvestment, water-intensive fossil fuel production is overwhelming the water-sipping clean energy sector.

Food vs. Water: High Commodity Prices Complicate Aquifer Protection in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Decades of groundwater pumping have left one of the San Luis Valley aquifers in a perilous state. To restore its health — and the foundation of the local economy — valley leaders are developing a plan to pay farmers to fallow up to 16,000 hectares. But with commodity prices soaring, will anyone go for it, or will the state have to step in?

U.S. Administration Bans Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon

The decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior was applauded by environmental groups for protecting the Colorado River watershed and criticized by industry organizations for hurting jobs and energy security.

Ecuador and Oil: Chevron Loses Court Appeal Against $18 Billion Amazon Pollution Fine

Closing in on nearly two decades in court, this “David and Goliath” fight seems far from over. Plaintiffs contend that no amount of money can repair the damage to the environment and to the lives of the 30,000 who claim to have been affected, while the U.S. oil company has denounced the Ecuadorean court system [...]

Water News: What’s Ahead in 2012

News headlines are often dominated by the big, unexpected events — BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, for example, or Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes in 2011 — but some events come with advance warning. Here is a preview of the water news to look for in 2012.

Infographic: Unprescribed — Drugs in the Water Cycle

In 2009, 3.9 billion prescriptions were dispensed in the United States, and an estimated 10 to 40 percent of medicines are not used. With 78 million baby boomers reaching the age when prescription drug use will increase, how will this affect environmental and drinking water?

Ned Breslin: Scratching the Surface — Retooling the WASH Model’s Indicators (Part III)

Sharing failures can be just as valuable as sharing successes. Yet, the development sector more often touts its successes as indicators to donors, who, in turn, are content to think short term and tend to not ask the tough questions.

Unprescribed: Legislation to Keep Drugs Out of Water Thwarted by U.S. Pharmaceutical Lobbying

An estimated 10 to 40 percent of prescription and over-the-counter medicines are not used, but how to properly dispose of these drugs depends on who you ask. Since there is no continuous national program, states — and even some cites — are instituting their own regulations, but not without complaints from the pharmaceutical industry.

UN Report: Floods Threaten Southeast Asia Food Crisis, Disrupt Thai Car Industry

With hundreds of deaths, thousands of damaged hectares, and millions of refugees, this year's fall flooding has equated to a devastating wet season.

Differing Views On North Korea’s Food Crisis

Torrential rains, heavy summer floods, and typhoons have compounded North Korea’s dysfunctional food-distribution system, leaving millions — including many children — in danger of malnutrition, according to some media outlets and humanitarian-aid groups. But others contend that additional analysis is necessary to verify the circumstances.

Eurobarometer Survey: Europeans Say Climate Change More Dire Than Economic Situation

Just over half of respondents in the European Union’s 27 member states mentioned climate change as one of the world’s most serious problems, and 20 percent felt it is the single most serious problem.

EIA Report: Global Energy Use To Double by 2035 — Half of Increase from Fossil Fuels in China and India

The U.S. Energy Information Administration recently published its annual report on global energy projections. Though renewable energy sources and nuclear power, along with unconventional fossil fuels, will phase out coal production over the next two decades, it will not be at the pace necessary to offset greenhouse gas emissions

Building China’s 21st-century Megacity: Shanghai’s Experiment with Water and Nature

A new community on the Yangtze River has, so far, been more successful at attracting ducks than people. But city officials have their sights set high for Lingang Port City, which they say could be home to nearly a million people by 2050. Cleaner water will be a big help.

Proposed Nevada Pipeline and Water Rights: Report Describes Worst-case Scenario, State Engineer Hears Case

On Monday, the Nevada state engineer will hear opening arguments in a water-rights case that has been ongoing for more than two decades. If passed, the construction of an extensive infrastructure network could dramatically raise the average monthly water bill for many of the state's residents, as well as impact public lands and endangered species.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

North America

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Study Outlines Plans to Stop Asian Carp at Chicago

Three proposals for separating the Great Lakes from the Mississippi River watershed could block the flow of aquatic invasive species while re-envisioning water management in Chicago, a new study says.

Economics and Water Concerns Alter the Solar Landscape in the US West

The falling price of photovoltaic panels and public concerns about aquifers and rivers in the western United States are boosting solar energy technologies that save water.

Pollution, Dry Weather Choke the World’s Major Lakes

Urban waste and falling water levels signaled a rough start to 2012 for some of the world’s largest and most iconic freshwater lakes.

Visions of Solar Energy’s Future Compete in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

The U.S. government is in the process of designating more than 6,000 hectacres of federal land for solar energy development. As companies line up to submit projects, some valley residents are questioning the centralized model of energy generation and are, instead, trying to shape an independent energy future.

State of the Union: New Economics of Energy Production Tilts Obama’s “All-of-the-Above” Strategy One Way

In the era of deficit and disinvestment, water-intensive fossil fuel production is overwhelming the water-sipping clean energy sector.

Peter Gleick: Mining California Groundwater – The Cadiz Project

A private company, Cadiz Inc. (Cadiz), has revived plans to mine groundwater underlying land in the delicate Eastern Mojave Desert. This project revives fundamental questions about how we manage our precious water resources, and in particular, whether in the 21st century it is appropriate, or even necessary, to use renewable water resources in a nonrenewable and unsustainable way, for short-term profit.

Obama Administration to Reject Keystone XL Pipeline

However, the company building the pipeline will be invited to re-appl,y after finding a new route through Nebraska, according to a government official.

Water Law: Public Trust May Be Fresh Approach to Protecting Great Lakes

Canadian and American advocates join to promote big oversight idea of the "commons."

Food vs. Water: High Commodity Prices Complicate Aquifer Protection in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Decades of groundwater pumping have left one of the San Luis Valley aquifers in a perilous state. To restore its health — and the foundation of the local economy — valley leaders are developing a plan to pay farmers to fallow up to 16,000 hectares. But with commodity prices soaring, will anyone go for it, or will the state have to step in?

U.S. Administration Bans Uranium Mining Near Grand Canyon

The decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior was applauded by environmental groups for protecting the Colorado River watershed and criticized by industry organizations for hurting jobs and energy security.

Advance of the Invader: Asian Carp Continue March to Northern Waters

Live carp have been found in North Dakota and past the electric barriers in Chicago. As the carp push forward, Michigan and other Great Lakes states are once again asking the U.S. Supreme Court to speed up action to stop the advance of the invader.

Water News: What’s Ahead in 2012

News headlines are often dominated by the big, unexpected events — BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, for example, or Japan’s earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear catastrophes in 2011 — but some events come with advance warning. Here is a preview of the water news to look for in 2012.

Plumbing WikiLeaks: Water’s Role in U.S. Foreign Aid

Diplomatic cables show that the U.S. State Department aims to strike a balance between the need for diplomatic dances and the desire to produce tangible results from on-the-ground projects.

Map: NASA Shows Big Dip in U.S. Groundwater Regionally, Especially Near Texas Drought

Using calculations based on satellite observations and long-term meteorological data, a new map shows that groundwater is extremely depleted across more than half of Texas, as well as areas of Alabama, the Carolinas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, New Mexico, and Oregon.

Price Volatility: Food and Water Insecurities Require Deep Pockets

Adding pressure to already strained budgets, the price of food is expected to remain high and quite volatile on the heels of this year's extreme floods and droughts. Though price increases are occurring globally, they are hitting hardest in the developing world.

Move

Display 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 Posts

Climate

Newest Article

Recent Articles

Food vs. Water: High Commodity Prices Complicate Aquifer Protection in Colorado’s San Luis Valley

Decades of groundwater pumping have left one of the San Luis Valley aquifers in a perilous state. To restore its health — and the foundation of the local economy — valley leaders are developing a plan to pay farmers to fallow up to 16,000 hectares. But with commodity prices soaring, will anyone go for it, or will the state have to step in?

Pacific Institute Report: Setbacks and Solutions of Water-Energy Clash in U.S. Intermountain West

At the forefront of a national trend, this region is already suffering from intense conflicts that willy only worsen with climate change and population growth. However, the report also highlights several ways to dramatically reduce the water requirements for electricity generation.

Eurobarometer Survey: Europeans Say Climate Change More Dire Than Economic Situation

Just over half of respondents in the European Union’s 27 member states mentioned climate change as one of the world’s most serious problems, and 20 percent felt it is the single most serious problem.

2011 is Record-setting Year for Climate Change: Ice Melts in Arctic, High Temps in U.S.

A new study has revealed that ice volume in the Arctic Sea reached an all-time low in 2010. Meanwhile, in the United States, more high-temperature records have been set this summer than in any other year previously, as well as many regions that have broken rainfall and drought records.

Peter Gleick: When Climate Changes Come and Water Policies Fail. Pray for Rain?

Texans and the rest of the country are getting a preview of the future of water when national and local leadership on climate and water policies fails.

Water and Food Security: Somalia Famine Grows, Drought Could Ease

Meteorologists are hopeful for future rainfall, though they say the current disaster was preventable. The lack of rain, which is also affecting neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, and political instability have tipped Somalia into a food crisis that could persist, even as drought conditions abate.

Watered Down: Hurricane Irene Renews Debates About U.S. Budget and Climate Change

Hurricane Irene killed at least 40 people, caused billions of dollars in damages, and cut power to nearly 8 million homes and businesses as the storm moved from the Caribbean through the East Coast of the United States last week. But while financial analysts and members of Congress focus on who and how much to pay for recovery, climate experts are pointing out holes in the system.

Interactive Map: U.S. Cities Acting Now to Reduce Water Risk from Climate Change

A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council describes water threats and adaptations in a dozen American cities.

Infographic: Wild Rice is Keystone Species for Upper Great Lakes Region

Wild Rice is an aquatic grass that is harvested annually for its nutritious grain. Throughout its growth cycle, wild rice encounters many external threats, both environmental and human-made, which are being compounded by the effects of climate change.

Where Food Grows on Water: Environmental and Human Threats to Wisconsin’s Wild Rice

For generations, the upper Great Lakes region has boasted harvests of wild rice, growing in Lake Superior and other watersheds within the basin. But disease, dams, and climate change are now endangering the uncultivated bounty.

Coal Conversion in the Rust Belt: Will It Be a Diamond for Small Ohio River Town?

An energy company has plans to withdraw water from the Ohio River, the potential site for a coal-to-liquid fuels conversion plant, which would be the first of its kind in the United States and the sixth in the world. Though it will bring jobs to the region, the proposal is facing strong opposition from environmental groups.

About

Donate

Dr. Peter Gleick

Ned Breslin

James Workman

Map: Top Ten Oil Spills

Circle of Blue Radio

Video

Choke Point: U.S.

Multimedia

Resources

Special Reports