When I last wrote to you, we were reeling from the devastating Australian bushfires that had killed over one billion animals. Discussions about the urgency of climate change were surging in the press. Then, as fast as our focus had sharpened on the pressing need to address our ailing climate, COVID-19 spread across the world, […]

In the great palm oil debate, which is currently raging, amidst allegations of the pursuit of profit at the expense of sustainability, it seems that some kernels of truth have been lost along the way. Palm oil is a harmless, natural product in and of itself; it is the nature of human action which causes […]

Innovation is quickly and inevitably changing the way we think and provide infrastructure services. In many sectors, technology is disrupting processes and market structures. The ability to harness solar power at home has the potential to turn consumers of electricity into providers, or “prosumers”. Solar-powered self-driving vehicles are …

IV.1   INTRODUCTION Our relationship with water is undergoing a transformation in response to increased demand for water (e.g., human consumption, energy and food production, etc.), the impacts of climate change and poor water quality. Digital technologies (e.g., information communication technologies or ICT) are leading the transformation …

III.1 OVERVIEW Water security has emerged as a global concern over the last two decades. This creates the impetus for a broad range of innovations that should disrupt water and wastewater services. The most significant disruption I expect to see is that a much greater role will emerge for the private sector, which will in […]

I.1  HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ON URBAN WATER MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT The historical approach to urban water management (drinking water, rainwater, used water) has been “reinvented” many times over human history, most recently beginning in the industrialized cities of Europe and the United States (US) in the 19th and early 20th century.1,2 The …

The water industry today faces multiple challenges – from accelerated population growth, to exhaustion of our traditional water sources, and water scarcity driven by climate change and inefficient management of our available water resources. According to a recent United Nations report, almost half of the world’s population—some 3.6 billion …

Farmers are the foundation of our $5 trillion global food system, responsible for growing the wheat, corn, soy and other agricultural commodities at the core of global supply chains. However, the agricultural industry is facing an imminent problem that threatens its ability to provide these essential crops: stressed water resources. Growing …

Let me first establish, like a surveyor, the boundaries of this piece, with some verbal fences.  I’m going to be discussing environmental writing in the United States.  Certainly, there has been, is, and will be, fine environmental writing by writers from all over the world.  But we only have so much time and space.  Most—but […]

The current global crisis could be seized as an opportunity to change course morally in the way we organize economic activity. We are moving from a system in which the economy has dominated people and nature to a new system in which economic decisions will be subordinated to the needs of people and Mother Nature: […]

In BriefMost people are not accustomed to putting dollar values on environmental services. US federal agencies, however, are required to assess the impacts of economically significant policies as measured by their benefits and costs to society. Nonmarket valuation grew out the failure of neoclassical economics to value impacts not priced in …

Natural Resource Scarcity To humanity, Earth has been kind with its bounty. Looking up, down, or in any other direction, this notion becomes increasingly evident as the fact of the matter reveals itself: It is nearly impossible to find any piece of civilization which has not been built upon the foundations that are Earth’s natural […]

In BriefLady Elliot Island is a coral cay on the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, and it is considered to be one of world’s best examples of marine ecotourism. With the implementation of solar and gas technology, water desalination and strategic behavioural adaptations, this multi award-winning ecotourism destination has committed to …

From 2001 to 2014, a new water policy was implemented in Paris when I was in charge of this sector. We carried out a major overhaul of the water policy, not only on the organizational level but also in terms of perspectives, taking a holistic and integrated approach committing all the stakeholders.  We decided to […]

In BriefPhosphorus is a major nutrient impairing rivers and lakes worldwide with reported environmental, health and economic impacts.  Several possible solutions already exist to remove excessive phosphorus discharged into a freshwater body. However, the current technologies are prohibitively expensive, owing to large land requirements, …

K: Where did you go to look for a girl? N (an elderly man): Formerly we went round to look for girls. When we found them, we sat on one side and they sat on the other side. And we asked them in turn which boy they liked. If one agreed, they shook hands. K […]

Introduction In the last 50 years, the biosphere, upon which humanity depends, has been altered to an unparalleled degree[i]. The current economic model relying on fossil resources and addicted to “growth at all costs” is putting at risk not only life on our planet, but also the world’s economy. The need to react to the […]

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has focused attention on human health in the short term. How do we slow the spread of the virus and contain the damage? It has also revealed the dependence of the global economy on long supply chains and high demand for services.  The likelihood of a global economic crisis caused by […]

Modern society is ecologically dysfunctional: When cultural norms are radically anomalous, ‘normal’ is pathology and its solutions merely reproduce the problem. As I watch the CoViD-19 saga unfold, I have to keep reminding myself that humans are short-sighted by nature.  We are mostly concerned about whatever affects us right here and right …

We will emerge from this emergency. When we do, what kind of a world do we want to create? COVID-19 is killing hundreds of thousands of us. The lockdown that governments hope will stem its spread has revealed the fragility of the global economy with devastating impacts on vulnerable populations. The unfolding tragedy for millions […]

In a word, Ray Anderson’s story is legendary. As the founder of Interface, Inc., the world’s largest manufacturer of modular carpet, he was an accomplished businessman and entrepreneur. He was your classic small-town kid who happened to make it big and create a global manufacturing company from scratch. He was the American dream. Despite his …

What does it take to provide clean water for our communities?  Tens of thousands of people dedicating their careers to managing our water systems.  This is a job that requires understanding the dynamic nature of our environment and adjusting operating and treatment protocols based on a variety of conditions.  It takes a network of people […]

California has an economy-wide cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases (GHG) that began in 2012 and now covers electricity, transportation, industry, and heating. About 45% of the revenues from cap-and trade are invested in programs to further reduce greenhouse gases across economic sectors through the California Climate Investments …