Special Coverage: Water

Drive 1,000 Miles or Feed a Person for a Year? The Biofuels Dilemma

Stan Cox, AlterNet. May 9, 2008.
Can the pumping of ethanol into American fuel tanks really make it harder for parents to feed their families?

From the blogs

South African High Court Rules: A Human Right to Water

by Michael E. Campana, WaterWired

Denying the poor access to adequate water "is to deny them the rights to health and to lead a dignified lifestyle."

Environmental Destruction Adds to Devastation in Myanmar

by Tara Lohan

It turns out mangroves are really, really important.

In Iraq 70 Percent of People Lack Clean Water

by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages

The number of civilians in Iraq without water has risen from 50 percent to 70 percent during 2003 to 2007.

Road Trip Around India Explores Water Challenges

by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages

How one man is traveling over 11,000 miles on motorbike through India to document the water challenges facing the people.

Webby Award for American Museum of Natural History's Water Exhibit?

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

The groundbreaking museum exhibit is also breaking ground online, too.

Are Coke's Water Conservation Intentions for Real?

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

The company is trying to sell itself as working toward water conservation, while at the same time depleting water sources.

More Bad Press for Nestlé in their Quest to Pilfer Spring Water

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Opposition to the beverage giant's inroads in rural communities is gaining steam.

Are You Fooled By Bottled Water? [VIDEO]

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

A new video shows that people are willing to believe anything about water as long as it's in a bottle.

Ecuador Embraces Natural Water Treatment

by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages

Who knew you could use aquatic lentil and water lettuce?

The Water Front: What Happens When Water Is for Profit? [Video]

by Zoe Maggio, Polaris Institute

A new documentary shows the stark reality of trying to make a buck off a basic necessity.

Water Shortage Concerns: City Contemplates Going From Toilet to Tap

Barbara L. Minton, Natural News. May 8, 2008.
Tuscon residents may soon be drinking treated wastewater as part of a growing national trend to offset diminishing freshwater sources.

Selling Tap Water in New York to Help Provide Clean Water in Developing Countries

Brita Belli, E Magazine. May 7, 2008.
An initiative to charge diners $1 for tap water and donate it to UNICEF to provide clean drinking water is taking off.

Sinking Without Trace: Australia's Unknown Climate Change Victims

Independent UK. May 7, 2008.
The islands of the Torres Strait are slowly being submerged and the plight of their inhabitants is being overlooked.

A Return to the Tap: Why Bottled Water Is on the Way Out

Melissa Knopper, E Magazine. May 6, 2008.
Environmental concerns are sending people back to their taps and putting bottled water companies on the defensive.

Latin America: Why There's a Water Crisis in the Most Water-Rich Region

Bart Beeson, North American Congress on Latin America. May 1, 2008.
With the most annual rainfall of any region in the world, the water crisis in Latin America is particularly perplexing.

To Save Rivers, Help Farmers

Christina -- DON"T USE THIS ONE Larson -- DON"T USE THIS ONE, Christian Science Monitor. April 30, 2008.
Chinese environmental activist Tian Jun found that in order to clean up Chengdu's rivers, she needed to look upstream.

Drought Is Spurring Resource Wars

Ernest Waititu, Indypendent. April 29, 2008.
In Ethiopia, violence breaks out as water turns to sand and climate change takes hold. It may be a warning to the rest of the world.

Vermont Deals a Blow to the Bottled Water Industry

Tom A. Peter, Christian Science Monitor. April 29, 2008.
The state's legislature has passed a bill that limits how much groundwater bottlers and other companies can draw.

Can You Get by on Just 5 Gallons of Water a Day?

Sophie Morris, Independent UK. April 28, 2008.
A British woman attempts for a day what most in the developing world deal with all the time -- living on just over 5 gallons of water.

Our Political Leaders Are to Blame in World Water Crisis

Maude Barlow, The New Press. April 24, 2008.
As Barlow's new book shows, the world does not lack the knowledge about how to build a water-secure future; it lacks the political will.

Turkey Plans to Sell Rivers and Lakes to Corporations

Olivier Hoedeman, Orsan Senalp, Corporate Europe Observatory. April 23, 2008.
The water privatization fever is hitting Turkey, just a year before the country will host the World Water Forum.

Forget Carbon: You Should Be Checking Your Water Footprint

Amol Rajan, Independent UK. April 23, 2008.
Water footprints will tell consumers the amount of precious H2O that has been used in the products they buy.

Fishermen Hit Hard by Closure of West Coast Salmon Fishing

Brad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor. April 22, 2008.
Drastic federal action to try to save chinook salmon is latest move in an ongoing battle.

Asia Teeters Toward Food Crisis from Lack of Water

Daniel Pepper, AlterNet. April 17, 2008.
In countries like India, overpumping of groundwater for agriculture is reaching crisis level.

Goldman Prize Winner Saves One of the World's Most Important Drinking Sources

Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor. April 16, 2008.
How one activist took on President Putin and oil interests to save 20 percent of thew world's freshwater reserve.

At Least 36 U.S. States Face Water Shortage

David Gutierrez, Natural News. April 15, 2008.
Available freshwater supplies are dwindling across the country due to rising temperatures, droughts, increasing sprawl and population.

How to Change the Way We Think about Water

Jennifer Greene, World Pulse. April 11, 2008.
We need to shift our understanding of water as a commodity to an appreciation for water as a human and environmental right.

Diminshing Latin American Glaciers Threaten Water Supply

Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor. April 10, 2008.
Rivers fed by melting glaciers across Latin America may soon dry up, forcing changes on the people who depend upon them.

The U.S. Nears the Limits of Its Water Supplies

Shiney Varghese, Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. April 8, 2008.
Public water systems are failing, several states are setting severe water use restrictions, and key water sources are drying up.

One Thirsty Town's Answer to Water Shortage

Vijaysree Venkatraman, Christian Science Monitor. April 7, 2008.
Residents have devised ways to capture and reuse rainwater to help solve the shortage.

Those Who Control Oil and Water Will Control the World

John Gray, Comment Is Free. April 7, 2008.
New superpowers are competing for diminishing resources. The outcome could be deadly.

Tempting Fate: Why We Insist on Living in Floodplains

Emily Gertz, Grist.org. April 5, 2008.
Fifteen years after the Great Flood of 1993, floodplain development is booming. Will nature get the last laugh?

Shrinking Glaciers and Rising Seas Affect Food and Security

Brad Knickerbocker, Christian Science Monitor. April 2, 2008.
It's becoming clear now that climate change may be altering the way people and governments think about water.

How the Army Corps Is Swindling Americans

Michael Grunwald, Grist.org. April 2, 2008.
With the help of Congress, they've been ripping off Americans long before the Katrina debacle, and no one's willing to stop them.

Women Rise Up to Tackle the Water Crisis

Rhyen Coombs, World Pulse. April 1, 2008.
How community-based women's groups are taking part in the global water movement.

How Do We Meet the Global Demand for Clean Water?

Saul Garlick, Policy Innovations. March 31, 2008.
Local populations can offer help in bringing this resource to their communities if given the right tools and opportunities.

A Poisoned Paradise: Cambodia's Water Crisis

Rob Sharp, The Independent UK. March 28, 2008.
The effect of pollution and climate change on freshwater resources are posing a deadly threat.

Sedatives and Sex Hormones in Our Water Supply

Amy Goodman, Democracy Now!. March 25, 2008.
An AP journalist who helped lead an frightening investigative report considers the dangers posed to the country's drinking water.

Exxon's Deadly Legacy Lives on for Fishermen

John Platt, AlterNet. March 24, 2008.
Nineteen years after their disaster spill, Exxon's trying shirk responsibility.

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Coverage concerning the global water crisis, including public water protection, conservation, pollution, bottled water, drought and dams.

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Polaris Institute

Learn more about the Polaris Institute's work on water issues, including the privatization of water services, bulk water exports, water takings, water security and their bottled water campaign.

International Rivers

Patagonia is under attack. Help one of the most pristine and unknown regions on the planet be protected from dam development.

Food & Water Watch

Support a trust fund for clean water. Ask Congress to provide the money needed to protect our water sources and keep our water clean and safe.