Blogs From the Earth Institute

Water Matters @ Columbia

Dam break in Northeast Brazil - Can we blame global warming?

Nordeste, the driest region in Brazil, has been castigated by heavy rainfall in the last two months. Yesterday a dam broke in the state of Piaui killing at least four people. The video below shows a partial bridge that collapsed after the dam break. The media shows every day more and more news about natural catastrophes. But is there enough evidences and facts to affirm that the frequency of extreme rainfall events is increasing across the globe? If so, can we blame global warming? or we just don’t understand the nature yet?

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Water for Profit?

I’ve long been fascinated by the concept of privatization of water.  I can think of few topics related to natural resources that are so controversial.  I tend to reject the claim, espoused by many including former Water Center speaker Maude Barlow, that water is a basic human right and therefore should never be private.  While water [...]

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