Citizens in Bogotá, Colombia are grappling with a water crisis. This year’s El Niño brought months of dry weather, depleting the reservoir system to its lowest level in history. Water shutoffs have become the norm for Bogotá’s nearly 8 million residents, with rationing expected to last through October 2024.
And Bogotá is not alone. Mexico City faces the possibility of running out of water in a catastrophic “Day Zero” event. In the Horn of Africa, drought has upended life for 20 million people.
Natural infrastructure offers a low-tech solution. Also called green infrastructure, measures such as planting trees and restoring degraded lands within a watershed can reduce pollution and increase water availability while making ecosystems healthier. WRI experts examine four cities proving that nature-based solutions to water crises are not only possible, but beneficial. Read more.
|
|
|
Just outside of Bogotá, Colombia, residents line up to collect water rations from a truck during the city’s intense drought. Bogotá is one of many places around the world dealing with extreme water scarcity. Photo by Associated Press |
|
|
|
Years ago, Sadik Ibn Abdulai watched his family’s land in northern Ghana transform from lush farmland to desert, due to overgrazing and other unsustainable agricultural methods. But today, the land he works looks much different. Bright green cashew trees sprout up from formerly sparse fields, while honeybees buzz in the shade below. Sadik is just one of dozens of small-scale “restoration champions” who are revitalizing Africa’s degraded landscapes. Read more.
|
|
|
|
World Ocean Day on June 8th focuses on catalyzing action to protect the world’s seas. New WRI research sheds light on just how closely linked human and ocean health are. From nutrition to new medicines to better mental health, thriving marine ecosystems offer benefits to people on the coasts and further inland. Read more.
|
|
|
|
Dozens have died and tens of thousands are ill after an unexpectedly early and severe heatwave settled in India; just this summer, northwestern and eastern parts of the country have seen more than double the usual amount of record-hot days. As temperatures rise around the world, cities face an even greater burden of extreme heat than their rural counterparts. WRI experts analyze the data to show what just a couple degrees of global temperature rise could mean for blisteringly hot days in the world’s largest cities. Read more.
|
|
|
Human-induced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are now over 182 times higher than they were in 1850. |
|
|
World Resources Institute • 10 G Street NE Suite 800 • Washington, DC, 20002 • 202.729.7900 |
|
|
|
