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Will Arizona Close a Loophole That Kets Developers Build Without Water?
January 9th, 2024
Via Grist, an article on Arizona where – despite water woes in “wildcat” neighborhoods – lawmakers may not act to close loopholes exploited by developers: When a small Arizona community called Rio Verde Foothills lost its water supply one year ago, forcing locals to skip showers and eat off paper plates, it became a poster child for unwise desert development. […]
Read more »Colorado River States Are Racing to Agree on Cuts Before Inauguration Day
January 8th, 2024
Via The New York Times, a report that California, Arizona and others – fearing a political shake-up of negotiating teams after the November election – are aiming to wrap up work this year: The states that rely on the Colorado River, which is shrinking because of climate change and overuse, are rushing to agree on […]
Read more »Don’t Flee the American Southwest Just Yet
January 2nd, 2024
Via the New York Times, commentary on the U.S. southwest and water scarcity: This summer, when the temperature hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit or above in Phoenix for 31 straight days, many were fretting about the Southwest’s prospects in the age of climate change. A writer for The Atlantic asked, “When Will the Southwest Become Unlivable?” Bloomberg wondered, “How […]
Read more »Why is Vietnam Worried About Cambodia’s Mekong Canal Project?
January 2nd, 2024
Via The Diplomat, an article on the proposed Funan Techo Canal that is set to connect Cambodia’s coast to the Mekong River via a system of lock gates: On December 11, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet met with his Vietnamese counterpart Pham Minh Chinh on an official visit to Vietnam’s capital Hanoi. During the two-day visit, the […]
Read more »A Grand Plan To Save the Rio Grande
January 2nd, 2024
Via The Hill, commentary on a grand plan to save the Rio Grande: America’s rivers are integral to our country’s natural heritage and economy — and they’re drying up at an alarming rate. Already strained by decades of excessive water use, mainly for irrigation, once-thriving waterways now face the added pressure of climate change. […]
Read more »Strawberry Case Study: What If U.S. Farmers Had to Pay for Water?
December 29th, 2023
Courtesy of the New York Times, a case study examining the impact of California’s efforts to essentially tax groundwater: The strawberry, blackberry and raspberry fields of the Pajaro Valley stretch for 10 miles along the coast of California’s Monterey Bay, jeweled with fruit from April through early December. The valley’s 30,000 acres of farmland are […]
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