Posts tagged with 'water quality'
Natural Infrastructure: A Cost-Effective Alternative to Supply Clean Water to Bogotá
Natural Infrastructure: A Cost-Effective Alternative to Supply Clean Water to Bogotá
The Guacheneque Páramo, where the Bogotá River originates, represents the second largest source of drinking water for the city of Bogotá, Colombia. It is a key ecosystem that supplies water to approximately 25% of the city’s 7 million inhabitants. However, due to ...
25 Countries, Housing One-quarter of the Population, Face Extremely High Water Stress
25 Countries, Housing One-quarter of the Population, Face Extremely High Water Stress
New data from WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas show that 25 countries — housing one-quarter of the global population — face extremely high water stress each year, regularly using up almost their entire available water supply. And at least 50% of the ...
How Rapid Urbanization in Africa Compounds Water Challenges
How Rapid Urbanization in Africa Compounds Water Challenges
Africa’s population is growing faster than any other continent’s and its urban population is expected to more than double by 2050. This urban rapid growth, which is mostly sprawling “horizontal” growth, as the World Resources Report: Towards a More Equal City shows, is combining with climate ...
How Forests Near and Far Benefit People in Cities
How Forests Near and Far Benefit People in Cities
A New Yorker may not think about the forested Catskills Mountain Range upstate as she pours a glass of water. Londoners probably don’t consider the Amazon rainforest as they watch the rain falling on city parks. And folks in Addis ...
Map of tree cover loss in Brazil
How Forests Affect the Fate of Cities in Eastern Brazil
Global forest loss remains high. In 2021, the tropics lost 11.1 million hectares of tree cover, according to WRI’s latest analysis. This annual figure included 3.75 million hectares of loss within tropical primary rainforests, resulting in 2.5 gigatons of CO2 ...
Lessons from Durban’s Approach to Water Resilience
Lessons from Durban’s Approach to Water Resilience
A decade ago, the South African city of Durban was facing severe water shortages. Dam reservoirs were decreasing at alarming rates, and were 20% lower than average levels. At least one in four residents were already living in water-stressed informal settlements. ...
In Ahmedabad, India, Women Are Climate Leaders, Not Victims
In Ahmedabad, India, Women Are Climate Leaders, Not Victims
During the summers, in the crowded informal settlement she calls home in Ahmedabad, India, Meenaben would lay wet jute on the floor and hay on the roof of her home to lower the temperature inside. If she didn’t, her home ...
Polluted Air and Water Is a Racial Justice Issue. Let’s Fight it that Way.
Polluted Air and Water Is a Racial Justice Issue. Let’s Fight it that Way.
Around the world, communities of color and marginalized groups disproportionately feel the effects of pollution and other environmental impacts. Whether it’s residents living along the polluted Cooum River in Chennai, India; Louisiana’s petrochemical-dense Cancer Alley; Thailand’s toxic hot spot Map Ta Phut Industrial ...
Forests Near or Far Can Protect Water for Cities
Forests Near or Far Can Protect Water for Cities
Water is essential to human health and well-being. In cities, leaders strive to provide secure access to clean, safe and affordable water. In rural areas, farmers hope for adequate rain and healthy rivers to produce healthy crops. The coronavirus pandemic ...
We’re Grossly Underestimating the World’s Water Access Crisis
We’re Grossly Underestimating the World’s Water Access Crisis
In Cape Town, South Africa, and Chennai, India, “Day Zero” events where cities run out of water have drawn global media attention. But while these catastrophes seem like rare, temporary crises caused by droughts or mismanagement, life without ample water ...
Protecting Forests Near and Far: Cities4Forests Launches at GCAS
Protecting Forests Near and Far: Cities4Forests Launches at GCAS
Most people don’t associate cities with trees, but urban areas are actually dependent on healthy forests. Trees within cities reduce heat, provide spaces for recreation and socialization, and increase property values. Nearby trees in the watersheds around cities filter drinking water and ...
From Waste to Watts: How Sewage Could Help Fix India's Water, Energy and Sanitation Woes
From Waste to Watts: How Sewage Could Help Fix India's Water, Energy and Sanitation Woes
As India’s summer intensifies, many states are already in the midst of a drought—and the hottest days have yet to arrive. At the same time, water-intensive agriculture, rapid urban expansion, increases in industrial activity and growing energy production are driving ...
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