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Sao Paulo: A “Green” Drought Perception Impedes Government Action
May 4th, 2015
Courtesy of Circle of Blue, an interesting look at how transparency , accountability, and civic participation are key to improving Sao Paulo’s water security: Sao Paulo is a paradox of water scarcity and abundance. Brazil’s largest city, located in a region that averages 25 more inches of rain each year than Seattle, is gripped by […]
Read more »Jordan, Saudi Arabia Sign Deal To Protect Shared Aquifer
May 4th, 2015
Via Zawya, a report on a recent Middle East agreement over a shared aquifer: Jordan and Saudi Arabia have signed an agreement governing “sound management and protection of the shared Disi aquifer”, which supplies the capital and other governorates with a quarter of their water needs, according to government officials. Minister of Water and Irrigation […]
Read more »The End Of California?
May 3rd, 2015
Courtesy of the New York Times, commentary on California’s drought: A buoy stuck on the bottom of a bone-dry Lake McSwain. IN a normal year, no one in California looks twice at a neighbor’s lawn, that mane of bluegrass thriving in a sun-blasted desert. Or casts a scornful gaze at a fresh-planted almond grove, saplings […]
Read more »Harnessing The Mekong Or Killing It?
May 3rd, 2015
Courtesy of National Geographic, a detailed look at the impact that dams rising all along the Mekong have upon the people and environment in the region: Pumee Boontom lives in northern Thailand, but he tunes his television to the Chinese weather forecast. A big storm in southern China means a big release of water from […]
Read more »California Drought Creates Water Wars Between Farmers, Developers, Residents
May 1st, 2015
Via NPR, a transcript of an interesting interview on California’s water crisis: TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. I’m Terry Gross. (SOUNDBITE OF NEWS MONTAGE) UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #1: California going back to the drawing board to deal with their drought. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER #2: The governor ordering the strictest crackdown on water use in the […]
Read more »The Thirsty Dragon: China’s Struggle For Water Security
April 21st, 2015
Via Terra Daily, a look at China’s struggle for water security: Way back in 1999, before he became China’s prime minister, Wen Jiabao warned that water scarcity posed one of the greatest threats to the “survival of the nation”. Sixteen years later, that threat looms ever larger, casting a forbidding shadow over China’s energy and […]
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