The Tana watershed in northwestern Ethiopia, a region home to the Blue Nile River, was historically known for its water abundance. But today, things look different outside the coastal city of Bahir Dar. Reservoirs are filling with silt. Wheat, corn and potato farmers struggle with increasingly erratic rainfall. Wells are running dry.
Yezina Alemneh is one of many local residents who needs to walk long distances to wait in line for well water. “I have finished my studies, so I can wait in line to get water,” she said. “But the students… they can’t reach school on time.”
While some causes of the region’s water woes are locally driven — a growing population, an expanding economy, insufficient investment in wells and sewage systems — many are increasingly fueled by climate change, nature degradation and international trade. The story of the Tana watershed lays bare one of the fundamental inequities in water management: While water problems are felt most acutely at the local level, their drivers are increasingly global. Read more.
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Yezina Alemneh is one of many farmers grappling with water scarcity in Ethiopia’s Tana watershed. Image by Nubia Media & Communications |
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Photo by WRI | Sisal, Yucatán |
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Mexico has the world’s fourth-largest mangrove forest network, comprising more than 900,000 hectares. These carbon storage powerhouses provide essential environmental services like flood prevention, but expanding tourism, urbanization and agriculture pose serious threats to Mexico’s mangroves. Some local organizations are leading the charge to protect these trees and the people who rely on them. Check out the videos.
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This week the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced new pollution standards to reduce emissions from light- and medium-duty vehicles. These new standards are expected to drive up electric vehicle adoption across the country. “The standards will have a direct impact on Americans’ lives, improving air quality, cutting people’s transportation costs and reducing climate pollution,” said WRI U.S. Director Dan Lashof. “Today transportation contributes more to the climate crisis than any other sector in the United States.” Read more.
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Crystite RF/Alamy Stock Photo |
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Technological advances have changed the way forests are monitored and protected. The Saamka, an Afro-descendent tribal community located deep in Suriname’s Amazon, are gathering satellite imagery and data through WRI’s Global Forest Watch tool to document suspected deforestation in their ancestral lands. They ultimately hope to present their evidence to an international human rights court and help secure their forests from intruders. Read more.
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In 2007, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights called on Suriname’s government to formally recognize the traditional land rights of the Saamaka and other Indigenous community groups. However, satellite data shows that tree cover loss in the Saamaka’s territory has actually increased since this decision. |
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