In The News

Thirsty Giant

Somini Sengupta October 7, 2008
In India's capital city, explains journalist Somini Sengupta, increasing demand and weak public water and sanitation systems have left even middle-class people "foraging" daily for water, testifying to "the government's astonishing inability to deliver the most basic services to its citizens at a time when India asserts itself as a global power." When water rushes...

Millions Forfeit Water to Olympic Games

Michael Sheridan August 27, 2008
Many Chinese sacrificed to put on a great show for the Olympics, but perhaps none as much as more than 30,000 people in Baoding who lost homes or land, according to Michael Sheridan, reporting for the London Times. In planning for the Games, Chinese officials worried about Beijing’s water supply and hastily made plans for diverting water from the agricultural area of Hebei province to the capital...

No Ice at the North Pole

Steve Connor July 2, 2008
Researchers suggest that the North Pole could completely lose its ice this summer for the first time in human history. The rate of melting has increased in recent years and a greater proportion of the ice is from a single season, reports Steve Connor for the Independent. “The polar regions are experiencing the most dramatic increase in average temperatures due to global warming and scientists...

In Spain, Water Is a New Battleground

Elisabeth Rosenthal June 6, 2008
The southern region of Spain looks lush and green, with farms and golf courses, but that could be temporary as the country runs short of fresh water. “Swaths of southeast Spain are steadily turning into desert, a process spurred on by global warming and poorly planned development,” writes Elisabeth Rosenthal for the New York Times. Regional success and a building boom have put pressure on water...

Arid Barcelona Forced to Import Water

Elizabeth Nash April 14, 2008
Spain’s second largest city must cope with a water shortage resulting from extreme drought. Now, the city must import water by ship and rail. Barcelona has a reputation for efficient infrastructure, reports Elizabeth Nash for the Independent, but climate change and water shortages disrupt city life. The city has turned off public fountains and pools and plans to conserve the imports by lowering...

The World's Rubbish Dump: A Garbage Tip That Stretches From Hawaii to Japan

Kathy Marks March 18, 2008
Humans discard massive quantities of plastic each day, and much ends up in the oceans. The non-biodegradable plastics remain intact, even after 50 years, and contribute to the ”Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” hundreds of miles of plastic floating in the Pacific. The fouled water, containing 100 million tons of debris, kills wildlife that ingests the plastic and destroys once-pristine beaches. The...

Fishing for Compliments

December 23, 2007
Marine biologists have urged the creation of ocean reserves for decades – for both environmental and economic reasons. Overfishing occurs in areas without restrictions, with catches including increasing numbers of young fish that have not yet produced offspring and other unsustainable practices. Reserves, though, mark part of the ocean as off-limits for all or part of the year to fishermen. Such...