If this year’s flooding and wildfires came as a surprise to inhabitants of rich countries, that is because the modern political compact was built on effective water management. As natural forces overwhelm these countries’ infrastructure, their political institutions will come under growing strain. LONDON — Swaths of Europe are flooded…

Since the dawn of agricultural societies, humans have been developing institutions and technologies to master the natural world and harness its power. The big question for the age of climate change is whether this defining political and institutional challenge can continue to be met democratically. President Joe Biden’s administration is…

Last April, Vice President Kamala Harris visited the Upper San Leandro treatment plant in Oakland, her Californian hometown. The American Jobs Plan, she told her constituency, will deliver over a hundred billion dollars for the upgrade of U.S. water supply infrastructure. In truth, the investment plan, one of the largest…

An effective response to the climate crisis requires a debate on the limits and scope of state power — In January, amidst the global COVID19 pandemic, the Netherlands hosted a digital Climate Adaptation Summit. At the event, many government leaders framed post-pandemic recovery in terms of adaptation to a changing climate. The topic seems to be widely embraced at this point. US President Biden ran his campaign promising that…

I wrote a book. It is a history of the relationship between society and water. Its scope is ambitious: a planetary story that begins when people first became sedentary, ten thousand years ago, and reaches the present. It is a story of people, a story of institutions. …

The world of water resources is of substantial political relevance. Ensuring that water is available where and when needed for food production, energy conversion, or urban living is foundational to modern life. It is also a field of arresting complexity. For example, water managers need to supply enough irrigation water…

China’s scientific and engineering knowledge gives it a distinct advantage in framing how best to manage the Mekong Basin and share its resources China has been ramping up its investments with the Lancang-Mekong Cooperation mechanism, which — according to American officials — is an attempt to compete with the Mekong…

How the work of one of the greatest scientists of the 20th century laid the foundation for our modern relationship with the planet. Geopolitics on the move Sixty-six years ago, this day exactly, America found itself celebrating one of founding fathers of modern meteorology. …

Lessons in sustainability from two thousand years ago. A Roman archetype “Apart from better sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health … what have the Romans ever done for us?” Reg did not mention “sustainability” in Life of Brian. …