Special Coverage: Water

Is California on the Brink of Environmental Collapse?

Rachel Olivieri, AlterNet. September 4, 2008.
California has spared no expense to taxpayers or natural ecosystems to become the most hydrologically altered landmass on the planet.

From the blogs

Baghdad Getting Only Half of Needed Water Supplies; Iraq Approves Oil Deal with China

by AlterNet Staff, AlterNet

First Saddam-era deal approved; UNICEF blasts Iraqi government for not investing in drinking water.

Communities Rally to Close Coca-Cola Bottling Plant

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

An official declaration has said that Coke has "overexploited" a town's groundwater.

Nestle Cancels Bottled Water Contract in McCloud, Calif.

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Looks like David has won over Goliath. At least for now.

Attorney General Slams Nestle's Bottled Water Aspirations

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Another big win for those hoping to keep the beverage giant out of McCloud, California.

Coke and Pepsi Fear Bottled Water Backlash

by Michael E. Campana, WaterWired

Looks like some consumers have finally discovered that gas is cheaper than most bottled water.

How We Are Going to Save Appalachia

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Stay tuned for regular posts each week on "Mountain Mondays" to find out the latest info about stopping mountaintop removal mining.

Your Summer Reading List for Water

by Jared Simpson, Waterblogged.Info

The good folks at Waterblogged provide part 1 of their summer reading list.

Community Activists Defeat Water Bottler in New Hampshire

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Another win in the fight against privatization of water.

Why Are the World's Lakes Disappearing?

by Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages

From the Great Lakes to Lake Chad, the world's inland lakes are drying up.

Colbert Report: Rocket Fuel Your Water Is a Laughing Matter (Video)

by Tara Lohan, AlterNet

Now even if you're one of the lucky Americans who don't have harmful rocket fuel in your water, you can buy some in Liquid Launch.

Fossil Fuels Are the Bottled Water of Energy

Andy Posner, Huffington Post. September 3, 2008.
We already know the many reasons not to drink bottled water, but fossil fuels are really bottled energy.

Free Water: Collecting Rainwater Is Catching on in the U.S.

veg-head, off-grid. September 3, 2008.
Rainwater harvesting is a well-known practice in the developing world, but it is also now gaining traction in the U.S.

Alaska Chooses Largest Gold Mine Over Clean Water

Kari Lydersen, AlterNet. August 29, 2008.
Alaska is one step closer to approving Pebble Mine, which threatens the world's largest salmon fishery and native communities.

It's Pretty Clear That Europe Is Using 'Trade' Deals to Steal Food from Poor Countries

George Monbiot, Monbiot.com. August 28, 2008.
A new wave of food colonialism is taking food from the mouths of the poor.

Half of Baghdad Lacks Drinking Water

Kareem Abed Zair, Azzaman. August 28, 2008.
Amid soaring temperatures, Baghdad's Water Authority says three million people in Baghdad have no access to running water.

Dispatch from Denver: Making Climate Change the Issue

Jeffrey Allen, OneWorld.net. August 26, 2008.
Why we need to make "global warming" the most important issue of the convention.

Will Thirsty States Get Great Lakes Water?

Dave Dempsey, AlterNet. August 26, 2008.
A new compact protecting the Great Lakes is set to pass Congress, but there are a few green critics with serious concerns.

Welcome to the Food Revolution

Kerry Trueman, AlterNet. August 25, 2008.
The Slow Food Nation gathering promises to be a Woodstock for food lovers and enviros concerned with our food system.

Importing Food Means Exporting Drought

Tom MacMillan, Comment Is Free. August 22, 2008.
If we don't make changes quickly it will be our plates, not our rates, that bear the brunt of water shortage.

Why T. Boone Pickens' 'Clean Energy' Plan Is a Ponzi Scheme

Scott Thill, AlterNet. August 21, 2008.
The controversial oil magnate has made headlines for a supposed conversion to cleaner energy, but there's ample reason to be suspicious.

Water for All: The Leaders of a New Revolution

Jay Walljasper, OnTheCommons.org. August 20, 2008.
A gathering of international thinkers, artists, and activists is inspiring a new revolution in the right to water and what belongs to the commons.

What If Your Tap Water Is Not Safe to Drink?

Elizabeth Royte, Huffington Post. August 19, 2008.
In the U.S., 89.3 percent of tap water is deemed safe, but what if you're one of the 29 million people whose water missed the mark?

Did McCain Just Lose Colorado?

Joseph Romm, Climate Progress. August 18, 2008.
McCain might have just lost Colorado after saying he wanted to renegotiate a 1922 water deal and take water from Colorado and New Mexico.

Dead Zone Diet: Why Fertilizers Are Taking Fish off the Menu

Kerry Trueman, Huffington Post. August 18, 2008.
Fertilizer runoff from industrial agriculture and fossil-fuel use are causing catastrophic "dead zones" in our oceans.

Climate Change Is Already Affecting the West's Water

Bob Burnett, Huffington Post. August 14, 2008.
By 2020 Glacier National Park will be "Puddles National Park" and the rest of the west won't be much better off. So where's the concern?

Small Hydroelectric Dams Not So Green

Mario Osava, IPS News. August 14, 2008.
Often included among "clean" sources of energy, small hydroelectric dams have been constructed without proper consideration of their effects.

Middle East Faces Widespread Drought and Devastated Crops

Abigail Brown, Water For The Ages. August 14, 2008.
Contrary to popular belief, the Middle East isn't entirely desert. But now even those fertile valleys fed by the Tigris and Euphrates are at risk.

The Must-Drill Mentality Is Threatening NYC's Water

David Sassoon, Huffington Post. August 13, 2008.
Trapped within the rocks of New York's famed watershed is a trillion dollars worth of natural gas.

Water's Odyssey from Sewer To Cup

Michael B. Farrell, Christian Science Monitor. August 13, 2008.
The strangest thing about Orange County's facility that turns wastewater into drinking water, is that there was no public resistance.

The Problem Is Simple: Too Many People, Too Much Stuff

Paul & Anne Ehrlich, Yale Environment 360. August 7, 2008.
An equitable and humane solution to overpopulation and overconsumption may actually be possible.

Bottled Water: The Height of Stupidity

Diane Francis, Huffington Post. August 6, 2008.
Bottled water is a joke, one of the biggest consumer and taxpayer ripoffs ever.

Why Water Rights Are Women's Rights

Yifat Susskind, AlterNet. August 5, 2008.
Across the world, it is women and girls who are responsible for risking their health and often lives to get their households' water.

Nestle Targets Aquifers and Springs in New England for Bottled Water

Amy Vickers, AlterNet. August 5, 2008.
In its attempts to strike blue gold, Nestle has pursued water extraction deals that have many locals seeing red.

How to Survive the Triple Whammy of Energy, Food and Climate Crises

John Feffer, Foreign Policy in Focus. August 5, 2008.
To survive we need to recognize that these threats are not separate problems, and they must be addressed as one major crisis.

Bottled Water's Shocking Impacts and the Growing Opposition

AlterNet Staff, AlterNet. August 5, 2008.
Here are two stories that show the huge impacts of bottled water and the pressure the industry is receiving lately from consumers and officials.

Tap Has 1/100 the Impact of Bottled Water

Graham Hill, Huffington Post. July 31, 2008.
A life cycle assessment traced the entire life cycle from water extraction to serving it up in a glass.

Why For Profit Water Companies Are Behind a Bottled Water Backlash

Richard Girard, Polaris Institute. July 31, 2008.
In the UK, private water delivery companies see bottled water as a direct competitor for their product, tap water.

Israel-Hamas Standoff Deepens Water Woes

Rafael D. Frankel, Christian Science Monitor. July 31, 2008.
Severe water contamination in the Gaza Strip is worsened by Israeli blockades, say many Palestinians.

America's Got Water Problems, and No Plan to Fix Them

Elizabeth de la Vega, Tomdispatch.com. July 23, 2008.
The lives and income of millions have been upended by government mismanagement of water issues.

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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.

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