Entries by Codi Kozacek

The Stream, January 27: Drought in Southern Africa Cuts Zimbabwe Water Supply

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The Global Rundown Water supplies in Zimbabwe’s dams may not last until the start of the October rainy season due to a a severe drought stretching across southern Africa. Droughts linked to El Nino have also exacerbated food shortages and humanitarian crises in the Asia-Pacific region, where UNICEF is appealing for millions of dollars to […]

The Stream, January 26: High Lead Levels Found in Water of Second U.S. City

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The Global Rundown As the lead-contaminated drinking water crisis continues in Flint, Michigan, officials shut down schools in an Ohio town after finding high levels of lead in the water of some homes. Operators at a Brazilian iron ore mine received warnings from sensors that tailings dams at the mine were unstable months before they […]

Michigan DEQ’s Responsibility to Ensure Public Safety Collapsed in Flint

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State environmental agency’s indifference and intransigence violated public trust. Photo courtesy Maj. Joe Cannon / U.S. National Guard viaFlickr Creative Commons Members of the Michigan National Guard were dispatched to Flint this month to deliver water, filters, replacement cartridges and water test kits to residents affected by lead-contaminated drinking water. Click image to enlarge. By […]

The Stream, January 25: Copenhagen Designs Parks To Prevent Floods

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The Global Rundown Parks designed to safely flood during heavy rainstorms are helping make a Copenhagen neighborhood more resilient to climate change. Floods from a severe winter storm inundated homes in New Jersey, and U.S. officials presented this year’s first water outlook for California. Polluted water sources and ailing infrastructure have cut water deliveries in […]

The Stream, January 22: Pakistan Proposes New National Water Policy

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The Global Rundown A draft of Pakistan’s new national water policy tackles topics from water pricing to transboundary water management. The second largest lake in Bolivia has completely evaporated, and a court in Brazil has shut down one of the world’s most important iron ore ports over pollution concerns. India hopes to save electricity by […]

The Stream, January 21: 2015 Was Hottest Year On Record

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The Global Rundown Average global temperatures last year were nearly 1-degree Celsius above the 20th-century average. Rising ocean temperatures will likely increase the rainfall and storm surge associated with hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean. Countries in the Persian Gulf are pursuing renewable energy to reduce their water use, while the easing of economic […]

The Stream, January 20: Global Fish Catches Falling Quickly, Study Finds

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The Global Rundown Overfishing is depleting fisheries and causing global fish catches to decline faster than previously thought, according to a new study. Thailand is drilling thousands of new wells to combat drought, water levels in the Kariba dam shared by Zambia and Zimbabwe are dropping, and food shortages are threatening refugees at a camp […]

The Stream, January 19: Thailand Braces For Possible Water Shortage

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The Global Rundown Thailand could experience water shortages by April if it does not take water conservation measures. The United Nations is launching a $50 million plan to combat food insecurity in drought-hit Ethiopia, while technical studies of the country’s Grand Renaissance dam are expected to be released by the end of the month. Jordan […]

The Stream, January 18: Belo Monte Dam License Suspended

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The Global Rundown Brazil’s Belo Monte hydropower dam faces further delays following a court ruling last week that suspended its license. South Africa plans to provide electricity to drought-hit Zambia, while the severe drought in southern Africa will also force countries to import more grain. In a besieged Syrian city, water supplies are only available […]

The Stream, January 15: Water Ranked As Biggest Long-Term Global Risk

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The Global Rundown Water crises pose the biggest long-term risk to global society, according to a report from the World Economic Forum. A plan to build a dam on the Ganges River to augment water supplies in Bangladesh faces opposition from India. Water customers in Britain paid too much for services due to a mistake […]

The Stream, January 14: India Introduces New Crop Insurance Plan To Tackle Droughts, Floods

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The Global Rundown India introduced a new crop insurance program and plans to expand insurance coverage to protect farmers following two consecutive years of drought. Wastewater infrastructure in the United States needs hundreds of billions of dollars in upgrades, the Environmental Protection Agency found. Carbon emissions rose dramatically in Southeast Asia over the past 20 […]

The Stream, January 13: Methane Emissions From Freshwater Lakes Could Rise Sharply

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The Global Rundown Emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change, could increase more than 50 percent from northern freshwater lakes by the end of the century, researchers found. A small glacier in Colorado could disappear in 20 years, and a rule to protect U.S. streams from coal mining may be defeated […]