 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case pitting Oklahoma against Texas over rights to the Red River, a critical supply source for north Texas. The region is one of the fastest growing in the country, NPR reported, but faces severe water shortages. The case’s outcome will affect water-sharing agreements around [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Drought Relief Farm fields across the Midwestern United States were quenched this week as heavy rainstorms over the central part of the country continued to relieve one of the worst droughts in U.S. history, Reuters reported. Grain prices, which were pushed up to record highs last summer due to the drought-damaged U.S. corn crop, could [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
In Texas, no water means no business, reporter Kate Galbraith writes in The New York Times. She charts Texas’ multi-pronged water-reform efforts as a severe drought that began in 2010 rolls on. The state Senate, House of Representatives, regulatory agencies, and even court systems are joining the effort. Scarcity by Mismanagement In many places around [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Water Infrastructure Ghana’s water infrastructure is in such a state of disrepair that it threatens the country’s economic growth, which is predicted to reach 8 percent in 2013, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. Some companies have turned to private water tankers to secure supplies for their factories because of intermittent service. U.S. Natural Disasters A new report [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Environmental Threats Natural disasters cost the world approximately $US 138 billion last year, the third consecutive year that economic losses from disasters have exceeded $US 100 billion, AlertNet reported. Floods and droughts accounted for almost 80 percent of disaster victims in 2012. Failure to address environmental threats like climate change, deforestation, air pollution, and water [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Water Disputes China is once again eying the Nu River (Salween River) for dam development, which could cost 60,000 people their homes, Reuters reported, citing government officials. The river is part of a UNESCO protected area due to the region’s high level of biodiversity. India and Bangladesh remain embroiled in a dispute over the sharing [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Satellite data shows the Tigris and Euphrates river basins are yet another example of how groundwater is being pumped at unsustainable rates across the world.
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
When a Greenpeace China rapid response team ventured to a chemical spill site in the Shanxi province, they found that the area’s water supply was dwindling rapidly to support the growing coal production there, reports The New York Times. Much like the water-energy nexus story that Circle of Blue uncovered in other Northern Chinese provinces, [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
“We cannot say that rain is not interesting just because we can dig wells,” says Vessela Monta, a civil engineer by trade who began working with the International Rainwater Harvesting Alliance (IRHA) in 2002. Some resources — like the availability of harvestable rainwater — get forgotten when discussing sustainability, but not to Monta. She points [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Pollution A pig farm in the Chinese town of Houtonglong has polluted water sources, created health problems, and made it difficult for local farmers to raise other animals, the Guardian reported. As China’s appetite for meat continues to grow, ban production at 93 iron ore mines in Goa, which were found to be contributing to [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
By 2017, coal will supplant oil as the world’s top energy source, the International Energy Agency predicted. In the next five years, the world will increase its coal consumption by roughly the equivalent of the U.S. and Russia’s combined consumption today, driven primarily by growth in China and India. Read a report from Circle of [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Free power, water, fertilizer, and chemicals encourages abuse of resources for world’s number two rice and wheat producer.
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
India’s climate outlook in the upcoming century is bleak, according to an analysis of eighteen different climate models reported in The Hindu. Average annual surface temperatures are expected to rise by 4-7 degrees Celsius, part of a warmer world with heat waves severe drought, and major floods, according to a World Bank-sponsored report. Read the [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Rohini Nilekani began her career as a journalist and writer. But upon marrying Nadan Nilekani — co-founder of the Indian tech-consulting firm Infosys — and coming into some money, she sought a cause to support financially. “I was looking for an area that would make sense to me and that would also have some kind [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
At least 283 people have died in the Philippines following the landfall of Typhoon Bohpa, which triggered floods and landslides across the southern islands, AlertNet reported. Rescuers are struggling to find survivors, but efforts are being hampered by destroyed roads and downed communication systems. In Papua New Guinea, the large Ok Tedi copper mine may [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
This summer’s massive drought left Mississippi River levels unusually low, threatening barge traffic. If levels at the Mississippi’s midpoint drop too low, all barge traffic would stop, which could force job cuts, raise fuel costs, and cut into U.S. food supplies. Water-Sipping Crops In the state of Karnataka, India, farmers are using a specialized paddy [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Water-quality protection measures were among the 46 conservation-related measures passed by local and state voters around the country yesterday. The Trust for Public Land summarized prominent results, WaterWorld reported. The city of San Francisco will not have to create a plan to destroy the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir’s dam. More than 77 percent of voters overturned [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
Circle of Blue’s 2012 Election Guide to Water U.S. citizens will go to the polls today no only to elect the next President, but some will also make crucial decisions about their water. Check out Circle of Blue’s 2012 Election Guide to Water by Brett Walton for more information about water-related ballot issues to be [...]
| Help share our stories: |
|
|
|
| About | | Staff | | In the News | | Ethics & Sponsorship | | Internships | | Board Members | | Contact | | Log In |
