Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day
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Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Earth Day, a day established to show support for environmental protection. This year the focus is climate action, highlighting the growing risk climate change poses for water and other natural resources around the globe.
We are
accelerating and scaling our reach and impact to address the mounting climate crisis. This month, we released a
report
on stormwater capture, a significant resource for community water resilience.
Another
report
released this month explores how businesses can contribute to water resilience in the Colorado River Watershed. Read on to learn more!
By Cora Kammeyer, Research Associate
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Pacific Institute Joins US Water Alliance in Highlighting Principles for COVID Relief and Recovery
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This month, the US Water Alliance created
Principles for COVID Relief and Recovery: Guiding Principles to Secure Our Water Future
. These principles present solutions to persistent water issues in the U.S., calling for access to water for all, strengthening our water utilities, and fueling economic recovery by investing in water. The principles recognize it is critical that the systems delivering this essential resource be strong enough to endure economic challenges in the short and long term, meeting the needs of all communities along the way.
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Featured Blog Post:
When Utilities Shut Off Water for the Poor, We Are All at Risk
By Dr. Laura Feinstein, Senior Researcher; Morgan Shimabuku, Research Associate; and Greg Pierce, Associate Director of the Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California, Los Angeles
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Several states, including California, have issued temporary moratoria on water shutoffs during the coronavirus outbreak. That’s a good first step, but more is needed. Maintaining clean running water in every home is the single most effective tool for preventing infectious disease. States and the federal government need to design financially sustainable water affordability and shutoff prevention programs that cover everyone in perpetuity, and they need to begin now.
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Featured Op-Ed:
Hand-Washing is Critical in the Fight Against Coronavirus, but What If You Don't Have Safe Water?
By Dr. Peter Gleick, President Emeritus; Heather Cooley, Director of Research; and Dr. Laura Feinstein, Senior Researcher
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"The coronavirus pandemic is shining a spotlight on the weaknesses of social, economic, and health safety nets we’ve long taken for granted, including our water system -- it’s hard to wash your hands if you don’t have access to running water in your home or your water has been cut off for inability to pay, as it has for thousands of households around the country," write Dr. Peter Gleick, Heather Cooley, and Dr. Laura Feinstein.
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New Webpage:
Water and COVID-19: Risks and Opportunities
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Forty percent of the global population – three billion people – live without soap and water in their homes. In the face of COVID-19, they are among the most vulnerable and most at risk of being left behind. But there is hope: COVID-19 has shed a light on the importance of safe and affordable water access for all, leading to the potential for massive investments by the business community and governments.
Pacific Institute researchers are continuing to examine the connections between water and human health, highlighting how more effective and equitable water policy and management can help address the immediate challenges of COVID-19 as well as longstanding water management deficiencies.
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New Release:
Economic Evaluation of Stormwater Capture and Its Multiple Benefits in California
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Stormwater capture is undervalued in California. A recent Pacific Institute article,
Economic Evaluation of Stormwater Capture and Its Multiple Benefits in California
, demonstrates that incorporating even a limited number of co-benefits dramatically improves the economic feasibility of stormwater capture projects. The article, published in
PLOS ONE
, examines the costs and benefits of 50 proposed stormwater capture projects in California, and finds that
incorporating co-benefits improves the economic feasibility of stormwater capture while providing important environmental and community benefits.
By Dr. Sarah Diringer, Senior Researcher
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New Release:
Scaling Corporate Water Stewardship to Address Water Challenges in the Colorado River Basin
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States in the Colorado River Basin face significant water challenges, including the overallocation of water, long-term drought, and climate change. A recent Pacific Institute report examines how businesses can help advance water sustainability in the basin. The report,
Scaling Corporate Water Stewardship to Address Water Challenges in the Colorado River Basin,
provides a set of
case studies
and robust recommendations.
By Cora Kammeyer, Research Associate
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Update from the CEO Water Mandate:
Water Action Hub COVID-19 Community Page
The Pacific Institute is Co-Secretariat of the CEO Water Mandate, a UN Global Compact initiative that mobilizes business leaders on water, sanitation, and the Sustainable Development Goals
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A comprehensive response to COVID-19 requires access to water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services. The UN Global Compact
CEO Water Mandate
’s Water Action Hub has just launched the
COVID-19 portal
, featuring resources and projects to highlight the WASH connection and other links to water, climate, and equity challenges.
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Pacific Institute and Partners Developing Database on Public Water Management in U.S. and Mexico
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Businesses have access to robust information on physical water risk, but there is no similar resource to assess the conditions around public water management. To fill this gap, the Pacific Institute is working with partners and businesses to develop a database on public water management in the U.S. and Mexico, which will allow businesses to better screen for water management conditions in their operations and supply chains.
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On Earth Day, Help Support a Water Resilient Future
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The Pacific Institute’s mission -
to create and advance solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges
- is more vital now than ever. Water is one of our most precious and valuable natural resources, a fact that has become more evident in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the importance of water, we are over-exploiting and degrading it at an alarming rate due to unsustainable growth and development, massive pollution, and reliance on outdated systems. Climate change is exacerbating these challenges and creating new challenges for freshwater management.
Since 1987, the Pacific Institute has played a lead role in analyzing and communicating the vital connections between water, health, energy, and climate change with generous support from individuals like you. That's why we are asking you to mark this Earth Day anniversary by making a gift to the Pacific Institute.
Join us today
to create a water-resilient future. Thank you.
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Pacific Institute is Seeking a Water Action Hub Intern
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The Pacific Institute is seeking an intern to help us strengthen and grow the
Water Action Hub
, a global online collaboration and knowledge-sharing platform for water sustainability. The Water Action Hub is a project of the
CEO Water Mandate
.
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Pacific Institute in the News
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CNBC:
Air pollution Falls as Coronavirus Slows Travel, But Scientists Warn of Longer-Term Threat to Climate Change Progress
The Revelator:
Pandemic Shines a Light on Critical Water Issues — Will Congress Fund Solutions?
NRDC Blog:
COVID-19: Why Most Don’t Need to Stockpile Bottled Water
The Journal of Sustainability Education:
A
ctivating the Corporate Sector as a “Lever” to Push a Water Resilience Tipping Point in California and Beyond (Interview with Cora Kammeyer of the Pacific Institute)
The Hill:
Hand-Washing is Critical in the Fight Against Coronavirus, but What If You Don't Have Safe Water? (Pacific Institute Op-Ed)
Read more news featuring Pacific Institute research and experts
here
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Help create and advance solutions to the world’s most pressing water challenges.
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