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China’s Karst Region: Infographics

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As they span significant areas of Asia, Europe and the Americas, karst landscapes cover some 15 percent of the Earth’s land mass. Scientists estimate that these areas of porous bedrock are home to as many as 1.5 billion people, a quarter of the global population.

Tracing Kunming, China’s Freshwater Hazards

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KUNMING — The ground quakes with a blast as the limestone fragments are blown from their roots, like giant white teeth shattered and unmoored. Nearby, a worker prepares his drill to place another stick of dynamite deep within the rock. He stops for a moment, places his foot high on the rubble and surveys the vast construction landscape that will soon become China's fourth largest airport.

Hidden Waters, Dragons in the Deep: The Freshwater Crisis in China’s Karst Regions

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Yunnan Province is a microcosm of China's freshwater challenges.

Israel Increases Rates to Pay for Desalinated Water

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On January 1 Israel’s national water company Mekorot raised water rates by 25 percent in order to pay for the incorporation of desalinated water into the national water system.

Q&A: Solomon’s Water

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Water weaves through history, giving rise to conflict, collapses and creation in civilizations. In his latest book, WATER: The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization, economic journalist Steven Solomon examines the economic and social relationship between people and water.

Perspective: Sudan – Land of Water and Thirst; War and Peace

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Circle of Blue introduces the first contributing column from Dr. Paul J. Sullivan, an expert on resource conflict in the Middle East and parts of Africa. In his first piece, Sullivan discusses the water crisis in one of the world's most spotlighted failing states -- Sudan.

NYC Seeks to Ban Gas Drilling Within the City’s Watershed

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Fracking could contaminate New York’s unfiltered water supply and require costly filtration, report says.

Epilogue from Steve Solomon’s Water The Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power, and Civilization

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The close of economic journalist Steven Solomon's book is a reflection on the new meaning of water given today's scarcity crisis. Solomon connects freshwater's past and present to paint a future, and potentially very unstable picture of human civilization. By redefining facets of this precious resource, however, he presents the foundation of finding global solutions.

India Cities Focus on Rainwater Harvesting to Provide Clean Drinking Water

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Many Indian cities lack sufficient water supplies. Urban growth is making it difficult and expensive to build the dams, pipelines and canals used in the modern era to supply cities with water. In comparison, rainwater harvesting systems are a low-cost, low-impact way for cities to increase supplies.

Peter Gleick: Stealing Water from the Future – California’s Massive Groundwater Overdraft Newly Revealed

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A NASA report summarizing data collected from new satellites confirms what most water observers have known for a long time. Massive amounts of groundwater are being sucked out of California's Central Valley groundwater aquifers -- unreported, unmonitored, and unregulated.
Video: Copenhagen – Taking the Risk to Define a Zero Carbon, Clean Energy Future

Video: Copenhagen – Taking the Risk to Define a Zero Carbon, Clean Energy Future

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Copenhagen, host of the United Nations Climate Change Conference, claims to be one of the world's greenest cities. It has extensive public transportation, a strong bicycle culture and plans to be carbon neutral by 2025 through progressive blueprints that reduce carbon emissions 20 percent by 2015 compared to 2005.

One in Five US Water Treatment Systems Contained Illegal Chemicals, Study Finds

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Senate hearing focuses on EPA's efforts to protect the nation's drinking water. The water for more than 49 million Americans has been contaminated with illegal concentrations of dangerous pollutants since 2004.