Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue. This week: drought in Taiwan, dry conditions in California, and PFAS lawsuits. Plus and exclusive CoB feature on federal study of PFAS exposure and viral illness.

What's Up With Water - April 12, 2021

This is an excerpt of the September 20, 2021 episode of What's Up With Water.

When diplomats and government ministers converge on Glasgow this fall, they hope to rekindle pivotal negotiations on global climate that were dampened during the pandemic. They will confront a world much altered since their last convention.

As Covid-19 continues to rampage globally, it has underscored the the contrast between the resources available to the rich and to the poor when dealing with environmental stressors. But further, floods in Germany’s Ahr Valley and wildfires in Greece and the American West prove that no country, rich or poor, is immune to the terrors of a fevered planet, with calamities that were summarized in a recent climate science report from the United Nations.

That report, in the technical language of probabilities and scenarios, emphasized the urgency of the moment. It stressed the need to reduce the release of heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere, and to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. 

Over the past year, torrential floods, exhausting droughts, and deadly heat waves have sharpened focus on the mandate to adapt. Adaptation is moving up the agenda in the weeks preceding the UN’s 26th Climate Change Conference, which runs from October 31 to November 12. Some have taken to calling the Glasgow meeting the “adaptation convention.”

Water At UN Climate Change Conference

Water Affordability In Michigan

Parag Khanna and Giulio Boccaletti

What's Up With Water - January 10, 2022

What's Up With Water January 17, 2023

What’s Up With Water - your need-to-know news of the world’s water from Circle of Blue. 

A new report from the United Nations highlights the environmental factors that produce deadly, drug-resistant pathogens.

In Australia, the government has refused to allow a pair of open-pit coal mines because of their potential to harm to local sources of fresh water and damage the Great Barrier Reef.

In the United States, the largest city in Ohio is taking a low-carbon approach to protect its water supply system from extreme weather.

What's Up With Water February 14, 2023

What's Up With Water - March 7, 2023

What's Up With Water - March 14, 2023

Welcome to “What’s Up With Water” - your need-to-know news of the world’s water from Circle of Blue. I’m Eileen Wray-McCann.


On March 20, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a lawsuit that could change water use patterns in the drying Colorado River basin. The Navajo Nation claims that the federal government has failed in its legal duty to ensure sufficient water for the tribe. That includes claims to water from the Colorado River, which is adjacent to the Navajo reservation. The lawsuit asserts that the U.S. government must determine the Navajo Nation’s water needs and devise a plan to meet those needs. The water in the basin is fully spoken for, so water for the Navajo Nation would come from another use. Legal scholars who are not party to the lawsuit say that the Navajo Nation should prevail in this dispute for two reasons. First, the federal government has near total control of the lower basin of the Colorado River and second, the government has a longstanding legal obligation to secure water for Indian reservations. The states named in the lawsuit and the federal government have a different view. They argue that it is not the federal government’s decision to make. Based on previous lawsuits, they argue that only the Supreme Court has the power to determine water allocations from the Lower Colorado River. Which interpretation the nine justices will support remains to be seen. A decision is expected in June.

A study published last week provides fresh evidence that the world’s weather is becoming more extreme. As the planet warms, high-intensity rain storms and prolonged periods of drought are happening more frequently. Researchers came to that conclusion after studying satellite data that shows the distribution of the world’s water. Matthew Rodell, one of the study authors, explained the dynamics to the news agency AFP. Rodell said that a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, so that storms can release more rain. At the same time, higher temperatures increase evaporation, which dries out soils and contributes to drought. The researchers expect the trend to continue – as things get warmer, the weather extremes will intensify.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took an initial step to control toxic “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The agency proposed first-ever limits for two of the chemicals, PFOA and PFOS. It also proposed regulating four additional forever chemicals as a group. Public health experts applauded the move, pointing to links between the chemicals and a range of illnesses, including thyroid problems, high cholesterol, and kidney cancer. Water utilities, however, cautioned that it will be expensive to update water treatment equipment to remove the chemicals. They say that unless more is done to prevent contamination of rivers, lakes, and groundwater, the cost of meeting federal drinking water standards will be transferred to citizens. The proposal is in draft form, and public comments will be accepted for at least 60 days. A final rule is expected next year.

And that’s What’s Up With Water from Circle of Blue, where water speaks. You’ll find more news and analysis - and a chance to support our work  - at circleofblue.org. This is Eileen Wray-McCann - thanks for being here.

What's Up WIth Water - March 21, 2023

Canadian leaders are moving to direct more resources toward protecting and managing the nation’s water. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took the first step, pledging to spend $420 million Canadian dollars a year over the next decade to improve water quality in the Great Lakes.

In Somalia, record-setting drought has caused the death of some 43,000 people, according to a new report from the United Nations. About half the dead were children under the age of five.

What's Up With Water - April 4, 2023

What's Up With Water - April 10, 2023

What's Up With Water April 18, 2023

What's Up With Water - May 2, 2023

What's Up With Water May 9, 2023

The Three Ages of Water, a new book by scientist Peter Gleick, traces the arc of society through its relationship with the most elemental of human needs.

Speaking Of Water:  The Water Transition: A Conversation with Author Peter Gleick

What is the value of water? It's an age-old riddle vexed by complexity and complacency. But what is the true value of functioning freshwater ecosystems, and what's at stake without them?
Stuart Orr, WWF's freshwater practice leader, speaks with Brett Walton, Circle of Blue Senior Reporter, about the provocative new report, "The High Cost of Cheap Water."

Whats Up With Water - High Cost of Cheap Water - WWF Report

Water, or lack thereof, is often at the front lines of conflict. By documenting water conflict across history, Dr. Peter Gleick, chief scientist and president emeritus of the Pacific Institute, explores the instances where water and violence have gone hand and hand. His water conflict chronology is a fascinating river throughout history and was just updated. In our latest podcast, Gleick tells us about some of the lessons learned and highlights from this water conflict chronology, and explores what kind of trends have emerged, and what we can expect in the future.

This is HotSpots Podcast Episode 11.

HotSpots H20

The Water Conflict Chronology - Water Conflicts over the Centuries and Millennia

In July, the World Health Organization and UNICEF published the first assessment of drinking water and sanitation service under the sustainable development goals.

Circle of Blue reporter Brett Walton spoke with Catarina Fonseca, head of the international and innovation program at IRC, a water and sanitation organization, about the report's strengthens and weaknesses as well as the successes and failures that it documents. Fonseca notes that though more people have gained access to water in recent years, those gains are unevenly distributed.

"There has been progress, but the progress is not fast enough, especially on sanitation, to achieve the sustainable development goals," she says.

his is HotSpots Podcast Episode 12.

UN Report Sets New Baseline for Drinking Water and Sanitation

What's Up With Water March 26, 2018

Water watchers know the Pacific Institute is a renowned global water think tank providing thought leadership for sustainable water policies. For over 30 years, the Institute has curated a chronology of water and conflict, tracking and categorizing events from the present back to the earliest recorded history.

"Speaking of Water" host Eileen Wray-McCann spoke with the Pacific Institute's co-founder and President Emeritus, Dr. Peter Gleick to discuss the connections between resource
issues, environmental issues, and the broad area of international security and
conflict.

Speaking Of Water - Featuring Dr. Peter Gleick

The Colorado River Indian Tribes' decision to seek changes to water leasing rules, which could have profound effects for the Colorado River basin

Audio summary: With Water Leasing Vote, CO River Indian Tribes Will Seek Consequential Legal Change.

Producing oil produces even more water. Getting rid of it is a large and expanding business.

Permian Oil Boom Uncorks Multibillion-Dollar Water Play

NASA satellites show the world is literally getting greener as reforestation projects and intensified agriculture have spread vegetation across more land. While this sounds like progress, experts note that not all vegetation is equal in the effort to fight climate change.

Humans have made the planet greener, and why that could be a mixed blessing.

Lake Erie Bill Of Rights

Your "need to know" news of the world's water from Circle of Blue, featuring headlines from around the world and, this week, a look at a controversial water bottling plant on Russia's Lake Baikal and a new assessment of American groundwater quality.

What's Up With Water April 18, 2019

Even Without Federal Infrastructure Deal, Cities Continue to Invest

Speaking Of Water – The Price of Water 2019 – Brett Walton

This excerpt on the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's findings that identifies deficiencies in plumbing and building codes, policies, and research in relation to combating Legionnaire's disease in the U.S.

What's Up With Water - August 26, 2019 Excerpt: Legionnaire's Disease

This audio is an excerpt from the 9/3/2019 edition of What's Up With Water, which looks at India’s ambitious plan to harvest energy from the sun – which has a potential dark side when it comes to water.

India Solar Pumps And Groundwater

This coverage is an audio excerpt from the September 16, 2019,  epsidoe of What's Up With Water. Listen for the full coverage of the World Bank's report on the issue of groundwater quality.

Circle of Blue's Coverage of the World Bank Water Pollution Report

"Speaking of Water" from Circle of Blue features Michael Cohen, a Senior Researcher at the Pacific Institute, talking about the problems and potential of the Salton Sea.

Speaking Of Water - Salton Sea - Michael Cohen of the Pacific Institute 10.29.19

U.S. Food Trade Using Unsustainable Groundwater Supplies

Speaking of Water Featuring Australian Author And Science Communicator, Julian Cribb

Founded in 2000 by leading journalists and scientists, Circle of Blue provides relevant, reliable, and actionable on-the-ground information about the world’s resource crises.

With an intense focus on water and its relationships to food, energy, and health, Circle of Blue has created a breakthrough model of front-line reporting, data collection, design, and convening that has evolved with the world’s need to spur new methodology in science, collaboration, innovation, and response. To document emerging and recognized crises, Circle of Blue collaborates with leading scientists and data experts. Through its partnerships, Circle of Blue then dispatches top journalists to map and define the region where the change is occurring. Making connections from localized occurrences to global trends, Circle of Blue publishes these reports online — free of charge — to inform academics, governments, and the general public, catalyzing participation across disciplines, regions, and cultures.


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