Posts

First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: Zombie Water Projects (Just when you thought they were really dead…)

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Not all zombies are fictional, and some are potentially really dangerous – at least to our pocketbooks and environment. These include zombie water projects: large, costly water projects that are proposed, killed for one reason or another, and are brought back to life, even if the project itself is socially, politically, economically, and environmentally unjustified.
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: Transcending Old Thinking About California Agricultural Water Use

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The debate about water use in California agriculture is stuck in a 30-year-old rut; relying on outdated and technically-flawed thinking that is slowing statewide efforts to meet 21st century challenges.
Energy Water Graph

Peter Gleick: Energy, Water, and Climate Change in the Western U.S.

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A new analysis from the Pacific Institute evaluates the water…
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Water for Africa, and the Nobel Peace Prize

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The remarkable president of Liberia, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, has just been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkul Karman of Yemen for their work on women’s rights. This award is rightful recognition of the commitment and dedication of these women to strengthening the rights and dignity of women in Africa, and around the world.
Q&A: Dr. Peter Gleick on The World’s Water Volume 7

Q&A: Dr. Peter Gleick on The World’s Water Volume 7

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Peter Gleick, an internationally recognized water expert, tells Circle of Blue what has changed — and what has not — since the 2009 release of Volume 6. The Pacific Institute's biannual report analyzes how water relates to climate change, corporate interests, and policy reform.
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: Why Spend Public Money for Private Bottled Water?

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When I go to water meetings, there are serious scientific discussions about climate impacts on water systems, international conflicts over water, water quality and contamination threats, new technologies and strategies for providing basic water and sanitation for the world's poor, and much more. But in the hallways between meetings and sessions, the real arguments are about the conflicts between public and private control and management of water.
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick and Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins: Jobs and Water for America

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Every year, our old water infrastructure spills 860 million gallons of untreated waste into America’s waterways, including raw or partially treated sewage, bacteria, parasites, synthetic hormones, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural wastes.
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: Water Emergencies — Time for New Plans and Technology

The world faces a wide range of serious, complex, and long-term water challenges, from shortages to contamination to local and regional disputes over water to long-term climate changes. But there are other challenges that are short-term, emergency situations that could also be addressed by some new thinking and new technology.
First Water Era Human Civilization

The Stream, August 5: Food Aid for Africa

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Support for farmers in Africa dried up long before Somalia's…
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: When Beliefs Conflict with Facts

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Representative Jim Costa and the California Drought
First Water Era Human Civilization

Peter Gleick: The California Drought (2007-2009) – Myth Versus Reality

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It has been a wet year. Very wet. But remember the drought? California…
First Water Era Human Civilization

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

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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.