In 2021, water crises took center stage. Here's how we can adapt
The last 12 months of floods and droughts showed extreme events are happening more often and everywhere. Here's how the world can adapt in the new year.
Brett writes about agriculture, energy, and the politics and economics of water in the United States for Circle of Blue, and he occasionally reports on Australia, India, and the Middle East. Brett also writes the Federal Water Tap, Circle of Blue’s weekly digest of U.S. government water news. He has an MA in Central Asian studies from the University of Washington and a BA in English from the University of Richmond. In 2014, the Society of Environmental Journalists awarded Brett 3rd place in the SEJ annual awards competition for beat reporting in a small market (Western water issues). Brett has received fellowships from SEJ (2013) and the Institute for Journalism and Natural Resources (2011). Prior to Circle of Blue, Brett worked on a NASA-affiliated water data research project and as a member of a State Department project on climate change and water management in Central Asia. Brett lives in Seattle, where he hikes the mountains and bakes pies.
The last 12 months of floods and droughts showed extreme events are happening more often and everywhere. Here's how the world can adapt in the new year.
People are five times as likely to move following drought conditions as they are after floods or periods of excess water, according to World Bank research.
Water shortages and scarcity present a major risk for cities across the globe. Better monitoring and improved response plans will be vital if we're to stop them turning into major crises.
Securing adequate supplies of clean water in a changing climate is one of the world’s most urgent social, political, economic, and environmental challenges.
Billions of dollars worth of mining and energy projects around the world have been cancelled or mothballed due to a chronic lack of water