Water & Climate Archives

Water and Food Security: Somalia Famine Grows, Drought Could Ease

September 7, 2011

Meteorologists are hopeful for future rainfall, though they say the current disaster was preventable. The lack of rain, which is also affecting neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia, and political instability have tipped Somalia into a food crisis that could persist, even as drought conditions abate.

Peter Gleick: Water as a Weapon — Qaddafi’s Last Desperate Gamble

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September 3, 2011

There is a long history of conflicts over water. The first known water war was nearly 5,000 years ago: a conflict over irrigation ditches between the cities of Umma and Lagash in ancient Mesopotamia, between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in what is now Iraq.

Watered Down: Hurricane Irene Renews Debates About U.S. Budget and Climate Change

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September 1, 2011

Hurricane Irene killed at least 40 people, caused billions of dollars in damages, and cut power to nearly 8 million homes and businesses as the storm moved from the Caribbean through the East Coast of the United States last week. But while financial analysts and members of Congress focus on who and how much to pay for recovery, climate experts are pointing out holes in the system.

Texas Utilities Use Restrictions, Not Prices, To Cope With Water Shortages

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August 23, 2011

The preference for government mandates reinforces the idea that…

Tehuacán Video Essay: Scarcity and Solutions – Pt. 1

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August 15, 2011

The Tehuacán Valley captures the tragedy and triumph of Mexico’s worst freshwater crisis in decades. In this video, meet Francisca Rosas Valencia, a leader who is working to better her community's water future.

Interactive Map: U.S. Cities Acting Now to Reduce Water Risk from Climate Change

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August 9, 2011

A report from the Natural Resources Defense Council describes water threats and adaptations in a dozen American cities.

Infographic: Wild Rice is Keystone Species for Upper Great Lakes Region

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August 5, 2011

Wild Rice is an aquatic grass that is harvested annually for…

Wild rice on the Bad River Reservation in northern Wisconsin is in the floating leaf stage by early June, with a single shoot lying on the water’s surface. This is considered one of the most critical—and and dangerous—stages in the rice’s life cycle. The plants are just beginning to change physiologically from exchanging gases with the water column to exchanging gases with the air. Therefore, they are very susceptible to heavy rains and flooding events that can either rip out the young plants by the roots, or drown them. June 6, 2011.

Where Food Grows on Water: Environmental and Human Threats to Wisconsin’s Wild Rice

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August 4, 2011

For generations, the upper Great Lakes region has boasted harvests of wild rice, growing in Lake Superior and other watersheds within the basin. But disease, dams, and climate change are now endangering the uncultivated bounty.

Coal Conversion in the Rust Belt: Will It Be a Diamond for Small Ohio River Town?

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July 29, 2011

An energy company has plans to withdraw water from the Ohio River, the potential site for a coal-to-liquid fuels conversion plant, which would be the first of its kind in the United States and the sixth in the world. Though it will bring jobs to the region, the proposal is facing strong opposition from environmental groups.