Entries by Jane Johnston

The Stream, May 18, 2022: How Some Cities in the American West Have Ample Water Supplies Amid Drought

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN A commission in California voted against granting a permit for a proposed desalination plant along the state’s coastline. A report suggests London could be waterless by 2050. The most recent deluge in Queensland, Australia has left hundreds of people displaced and cut off access to more than 700 roads. Officials in one […]

The Stream, May 11, 2022: Wildfire Season Starts Early As U.S. Battles Drought

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN More than half of the continental United States is experiencing drought. Water scarcity threatens more than four-fifths of the world’s croplands. Around one-fifth of aquatic ecosystems in the Brazilian Amazon have been impacted by agriculture and dam construction. In the United States, more than 2,000 aging dams pose threats to nearby communities. […]

The Stream, May 4, 2022: New Technology Claims to Break Down PFAS Chemicals in Seconds

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN Record heatwaves in India and Pakistan are causing water and electricity shortages. A major water utility in California ordered millions of residents to cut water use as drought rages on. Climate disasters like floods and bushfires could raise insurance premiums so high that properties in Australia will become unaffordable. An Ohio-based nonprofit […]

The Stream, April 27, 2022: How a Rural Nebraskan Town Is Moving Forward a Year After Toxic Ethanol Plant Closes

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN Residents in a major neighborhood in Lagos, Nigeria lack access to clean drinking water and say their government has abandoned them. A Nebraska town remains divided on the best strategy for remediation after years of pollution contaminated water supplies and caused health problems. Officials in England report record-high numbers of water pollution […]

Blurring the Lines Between Art and Activism 💧🎨

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By Jane Johnston, Circle of Blue Greg Mort didn’t intend to devote his career as an artist to the preservation of the environment. Indeed, his art has always reflected his fascination with science. “As a young person,” he said of growing up in the original space age, “I marveled at the idea of all of […]

The Stream, April 20, 2022: Conservation Groups Say a Canadian Utility Company Failed to Rebuilt Habitats They Destroyed

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN Conservation groups in Canada claim an electric utility is failing to appropriately restore habitats destroyed by hydroelectric dam projects. Floods decimate coastal South Africa. War destroys water infrastructure in Ukraine, leaving millions without access to drinking water. Nebraska officials move forward with a controversial and expensive water diversion project. Water shortages in […]

The Stream, April 13, 2022: Water Pollution Tops Environmental Concerns in the U.S., Poll Finds

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN A new study discovers high concentrations of toxic metals across semi-urban, Hispanic communities in the United States. Nearly two dozen Iranians were sentenced to prison for taking part in a 2015 protest over water diversions. Public concern over environmental quality and water contamination in the United States is climbing to record-highs. The […]

‘Water Touches Us Daily and Everywhere’💧

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We’re sharing bits of creative inspiration from the water world, as well as behind-the-scenes looks of what it takes to bring you the news you rely on from Circle of Blue. What inspires you? We’d love to hear from you. Email your videography, photography, or other water art to us here. – Jane Johnston, Stream […]

The Stream, April 6, 2022: IPCC Report Warns Against Mitigation Strategies That Will Increase Water Scarcity

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN The latest report from the United Nations climate panel urges global leaders to adopt policies to reduce carbon pollution. In Canada, the federal government will fund a multi-million-dollar water reservoir in a rural community plagued by water contamination. Mudslides and flooding wreak havoc in Brazil. Ongoing drought decimates Honduran farmland. Australian officials dismantle […]

The Stream, March 30, 2022: New Technology Could Solve Solar Energy’s Water Problem

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN Experts say mismanagement of resources could plunge Morocco into a water crisis as climate change worsens. Cameroon faces its most recent cholera outbreak. Michigan lawmakers pass a major spending bill, including billions for water infrastructure. Australian officials propose a major damming project that has been met with intense criticism for bypassing standard […]

Game Time💧🎮

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Jane JohnstonJane is a Communications Associate for Circle of Blue. She writes The Stream and has covered domestic and international water issues for Circle of Blue. She is a recent graduate of Grand Valley State University, where she studied Multimedia Journalism and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. During her time at Grand Valley, she was […]

The Stream, March 23, 2022: Can African Nations Meet WASH Goals?

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YOUR GLOBAL RUNDOWN Africa is not on track to meet global goals for water access, sanitation, and hygiene. Islamist militants are attacking water infrastructure in Burkina Faso. A new report concludes the United States has not met the goals of decades old legislation meant to keep waterways clean. More than half of the United States […]