Many people point to renewable energy as the greatest threat facing fossil fuel power plants. New WRI research finds that the real threat may be water scarcity.
Cape Town, South Africa has been in the news for its impending "Day Zero," when the city will shut off taps and start rationing water, but its reservoirs aren't the only ones shrinking. Satellite images reveal dwindling water supplies in Morocco, India, Iraq and Spain.
Cape Town, South Africa is poised to shut off water taps for homes and businesses in the next few months. Is the next "Day Zero" coming to a city near you?
Toxic air pollution. Plastic-filled oceans. Sucking carbon from the skies. These are just a few of the stories that will shape 2018's legacy.
Fourteen of India’s 20 largest thermal utilities experienced at least one shutdown due to water shortages between 2013-2016, at a cost of $1.4 billion. It's a taste of what's to come in a warmer, more crowded world.
Power plants use a lot of water for cooling, but most don't disclose how much. A new WRI methodology calculates their thirst by using Google Earth images.
Ethiopia, the fastest growing global economy, aims to increase prosperity for its citizens. Climate change, conflicting water demands and watershed degradation could stand in its way. Sustainable water management will be essential to maintaining Ethiopia's progress.
Water’s usability doesn’t need to end once it's flushed down the drain. Rather, India can see industrial and domestic wastewater as a valuable resource from which water, nutrients and even renewable energy can be extracted.
Water security drives state stability and safety in many regions of the world. The direct and indirect effects of water stress—such as migration, food shortages and general destabilization—transcend national boundaries.
More than 678 million Chinese citizens now live in areas facing high or extremely high water stress. Industrialization and urbanization are to blame.
