To Protect Water We Must Combat Climate Change!

Right now, the American West is facing a dramatic and frightening drought crisis. According to the most recent U.S. Drought Monitor, 80% of the region is experiencing "severe, extreme, or exceptional" drought conditions with no end in sight.

In response, state and local leaders are making emergency declarations. Water allocations are being slashed. We are already seeing fish die-offs and domestic wells running dry. The current drought conditions are not an aberration: they portend a drier future requiring transformative change.

Without a doubt, water is one of our most precious and valuable natural resources and is fundamental for human and ecological health — and economic prosperity. But the water we need to survive is at risk, threatened by pollution, overuse, and climate change.

Key climate threats are not only rising temperatures and melting sea ice, we're seeing changes in precipitation patterns and witnessing more extreme events like floods, wildfires, and prolonged droughts. These climate change impacts affect the availability, quality, and demand for water.

It's not too late to change the future of water — and reduce the impacts of climate change — but we are running out of time to make a difference.

The Pacific Institute's mission is to create and advance solutions to the world's most pressing water challenges. For more than 30 years, we've played a lead role in analyzing and communicating the connections between water, energy, and climate change, globally and in the Western United States. We actively build the evidence base through research, pilot projects, and collaborative networks to inform communities and decision makers, and impact policy decisions.

Now, as we all face the catastrophic impacts of climate change, we need your support more than ever.

Sign the pledge to protect water, fight climate change, and advance solutions for a water resilient future.