Nov 02, 2007 -- /prbuzz/ --TRAVERSE CITY, Mich (Oct. 29, 2007) — The emergence of drought in Georgia, dwindling Great Lakes levels, and the fierce competition for water in the American West are part of a complex, urgent water crisis unfolding across the globe.
“Water is the axis issue that intersects the world's greatest challenges, from health, poverty and security to climate, immigration and environment, even financial and commodities markets,” said J. Carl Ganter, director of Circle of Blue, the journalism, research and collaborative project covering water issues worldwide. “We're just beginning to grasp the stresses on our world's water supplies. Our imperative as journalists, scientists and communicators is to gather comprehensive information from the front lines of this complicated issue - to understand where we are, where we're headed and what we need to do."
Circle of Blue today issued a call for public involvement in identifying assignment locations for its expanded coverage around the world, and an invitation for people to submit their own reports. Participate online at: www.circleofblue.org/bucket
As the crisis unfolds, top priorities include measuring its consequences, finding cost-effective solutions, and engaging the public with relevant, compelling and in-depth stories that lead to awareness and informed decisions.
Circle of Blue plans to report 150 multi-media stories of the crisis covering the challenges and solutions using world-recognized talents, and presenting the results online in new interactive ways with actionable data from diverse sources. Its Ford Foundation-funded pilot project in Tehuacan, Mexico, revealed severe drought and declining aquifers as a cause of illegal immigration to the U.S.
The complex saga of increasing demand, declining supplies, and human mismanagement is disrupting the economies, cultures, and well-being of billions of people around the world. In the U.S., water shortages in diverse regions are not entirely acts of nature, according to researchers. Many are solvable and reflect the consequences of aging or inadequate infrastructure, demand that defies nature's ability to keep pace and a lack of understanding the impacts of climate change.
"If our municipal water supplies shut off, we couldn't survive on the local water resources that we have," said Dr. Peter H. Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, the Oakland, Calif.-based water policy think tank. "They depend on our bringing water enormous distances and treating that water to a very high standard so that we can use it. And if that water stopped, we'd have to rethink our whole civilization."
While the American Southeast is gripped by the most severe drought in 100 years, even legendary water-rich areas such as the Great Lakes are struggling to cope with foreboding stresses on their water ecosystems. Analysts say more than $26 billion are needed to clean up and protect the Great Lakes water supply.
Globally, the UN estimates that two-thirds of the world's population will live in areas of water stress within the next 20 years, and that 5 million people die each year due to contaminated drinking water.
“We have a very short period of time here to get people educated on what this means,” the head of the Western Water Assessment in Boulder Colo., Bradley Udall, told the New York Times Sunday Magazine last week of the drought in the American West.
Share your water story
Circle of Blue invites you to share your stories and thoughts about water, whether from the suburbs of Atlanta, the deserts of Mongolia or the edges of sub-Saharan Africa.
Toll-free: 1-866-722-3600
email:
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Web: http://www.circleofblue.org/bucket
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/circleofblue
Send us your assignment ideas
Where should we send our teams to document the front lines of this crisis?
Who are its heroes? What are the solutions?
http://www.circleofblue.org/suggest
About
Pacific Institute
The Pacific Institute is dedicated to protecting our natural world, encouraging sustainable development, and improving global security. Based in Oakland, California, the Institute uses interdisciplinary analysis in order to develop real-world solutions to problems like water shortages, habitat destruction, global warming, and environmental injustice. Founded in 1982, the Institute celebrates its 20th Anniversary in 2007.
Circle of Blue
Founded by leading journalists and scientists and based on the shores of the Great Lakes, Circle of Blue pioneers communications and information technology, informing decision making with original front-line reporting, dynamic data spaces and engaging social media. Circle of Blue is a nonprofit independent journalism project of the Pacific Institute. It was featured recently at the Aspen Ideas Festival and the Clinton Global Initiative, and received initial development funding from the Catto Charitable Foundation, The Coca-Cola Company, Ford Foundation, Herrington-Fitch Foundation, Linden Trust for Conservation and the SymbioCycles Foundation.
Partners
Circle of Blue partners announced at the Clinton Global Initiative include the international photojournalism agency Contact Press Images; the Environmental Change and Security Program and China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars; exhibit firm Evergreen Exhibitions; acclaimed artist Greg Mort; SustainAbility, the global independent consultancy for corporate responsibility and sustainability; and Sea Studios Foundation, producer of the PBS series, "Strange Days on Planet Earth." Also included are Getty Images and Magnum Photos Foundation.
Circle of Blue is made possible by the generous financial support of individuals, foundations and companies - please join us. info (at) circleofblue.org
Contact
J. Carl Ganter, director
Circle of Blue
media (at) circleofblue.org
+1.202.351-6870 x110
www.circleofblue.org
Ian Hart, communications director
Pacific Institute
ihart (at) pacinst.org
+1.510.251-1600 x106
www.pacinst.org, www.worldwater.org
(statistics, water issues, policy)
Available media
B-Roll, high-resolution photographs, audio and video interviews
http://www.circleofblue.org/media_center/
Contact:
Eric Daigh
eric (at) circleofblue.org
+1.202.351-6870 x115 |
About the Press Release
Circle of Blue reports that drought in Georgia, dwindling Great Lakes levels, and the fierce competition for water in the American West are part of a complex, urgent water crisis unfolding worldwide.
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