Healthy ecosystems like forests, wetlands, and farms are nature's water infrastructure. They are essential for buffering against floods and the provision of clean, ample water around the world – feeding growth in agriculture, industry, and cities. But unlike traditional pipes and pumps, “natural...
Power from solar and wind requires zero or little water, unlike coal, gas and other forms of thermal power. Renewable energy can therefore be particularly attractive to water-stressed countries looking to meet their increasing electricity demands without producing emissions.
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.
Today on World Water Day, the Water, Peace and Security Initiative (WPSI), was launched to provide expert guidance on the link between water and security, identify potential “hotspot areas” to prevent the next water-driven security crisis, and provide support to impacted countries.
Sometimes the best answer to daunting problems is the simplest one. Restoring and protecting forests today is one measure that can help prevent the water crises of tomorrow.
Brazil's forests are its historic first line of defense against water stress and water-related natural disasters, but now these forests are under pressure. Will Brazil increase investment in its natural infrastructure to defend against water crises?
Water risk poses a major risk to businesses. While there are a variety of publicly-available frameworks for guiding corporate water action, five key trends have emerged, from data disclosure to changing company culture.
Many databases cover the world's physical water resources, but none give a global picture of water management and policy. Since companies already track water management where they have operations, a crowdsourced approach relying on their input could spin up the database quickly.
In response to water crises across the globe, data on biophysical conditions associated with water risk have increasingly been collected and understood. However, a complete assessment of water risk also requires an understanding of public water management. Currently there is a lack of global...
