Tag: In the News7
-
Turkish Baths?
If you are browsing for a bit of water related humor, turn to the Reuters news on Turkey. This month, Istanbul, a cultural capital of Turkey, was part- host of the Fifth World Water Forum which connects experts from over 150 countries around the world to address impending global water crises. According to UN reports,…
-
Water: A Basic Human Right?
The 5th World Water Forum ended on Sunday (World Water Day), and in spite of the many pieces of good news, the dominant news story is that the group recognized water as a basic human need, not a basic human right. While this may seem like an issue of semantics, I think there is a…
-
New NOAA Administrator
As of last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has a new leader. The U.S. Senate named Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D. Administrator of NOAA on March 19, 2009. As the first woman and the first marine ecologist to fulfill this position, Dr. Lubchenco is committed to using science to create sound policy. Her specific…
-
World Water Week
World Water Week organized by the Tap Project will kick off this Sunday in major cities around the US, raising awareness and funds for the many important water and sanitation projects implemented by UNICEF.
-
Is Water-banking the Key to California’s Water Woes?
It’s been a bad stretch of years for farmers in California…and things don’t look like they will be getting better any time soon. Three years of consecutive drought in the state have ravaged the agricultural industry, leading Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency. The announcement was accompanied by pleas for municipalities to…
-
Water for Profit?
I’ve long been fascinated by the concept of privatization of water. I can think of few topics related to natural resources that are so controversial. I tend to reject the claim, espoused by many including former Water Center speaker Maude Barlow, that water is a basic human right and therefore should never be private. While water…
-
Obama’s Clean Water Initiatives
From U.S. News: Obama Likely to Boost Water Quality Rules After Years of Lax Regulation [The Clean Water Act] Passed in 1972, the law was interpreted by both Congress and the courts for nearly 30 years as protecting virtually all federal waters. But in 2001, and again in 2006, the Supreme Court handed down rulings…
-
Falling Demand = Rising Prices?
Out west, the economic and real estate downturn have helped alleviate many of the water shortage problems; however, in Detroit the decrease in water demand has had the opposite affect – decreased usage is resulting in revenue shortfalls, making it harder to fund system maintenance – as a result, rate increases are in the works.…
-
As Economy Falters, Everglades May Lose Out
In the past months, the headlines have been dominated by news of yet another bad day for the stock market. But, there is another casualty of the recession that probably isn’t getting as much press. While stocks continue to plummet, the Everglades of South Florida may also be falling on hard times as a result…
Congratulations to our Columbia Climate School MA in Climate & Society Class of 2024! Learn about our May 10 Class Day celebration. #ColumbiaClimate2024