The Great Lakes region is frequently touted as one of the most climate-resilient places in the U.S., in no small part because of its enviable water resources. But climate change also threatens water quality, availability, and aging water infrastructure by exposing existing vulnerabilities and creating new ones.

Circle of Blue Investigates
Most Americans give little thought to their water bills, paying them on time and in full. But for a subset of people in this country, water debt is a constant and menacing presence in their lives. Circle of Blue investigated the scale of customer water debt burdens in large U.S. cities.

The story of Texas is the state’s devout allegiance to the principle that mankind has dominion over nature. In 2020, the pandemic, climate disruption, and ever-present challenges with water supply and use are writing a much different story of vulnerability to nature’s bullying, and to government’s uncertain capacity to adjust.

A pillar of improvements in human health in the last century, water, sanitation, and hygiene are also a foundation of the world’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Present in the natural environment, the Legionella bacteria flourish in building plumbing systems. Reported cases of the pneumonia-like disease, spread by inhaling droplets contaminated with the bacteria, are rapidly rising, up five-fold since 2000.