If you don’t have access to water, you likely don’t have access to education, safety, or economic opportunity either. The ability to turn on a faucet to get clean water changes everything. According to UNICEF, over 2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water at home, and nearly 1 in 4 households rely on water sources located off-premises. The responsibility for collecting water falls primarily on women and girls, who collectively spend over 200 million hours every day walking to distant wells, rivers, or communal taps, frequently in unsafe conditions —which means women and girls lose out on education, economic opportunity, and safety, all because they can’t turn on a faucet to get water.

The theme for this year’s World Water Day, which happens on March 22, is Water and Gender. The distribution of clean water resources remains unequal throughout the world; this theme and its campaign message “Where water flows, equality grows” highlights the role water plays in empowering women, strengthening communities, and driving progress around the globe. 

To honor World Water Day, let’s break down why an action that so many of us take for granted has the potential to change the lives of women and girls everywhere.

Water Access and Gender Equality 

Imagine that instead of walking to your sink and turning on a tap to fill a glass, you had to walk several miles every day to a well, river, or lake, and then carry all the water you needed for the day back home. That’s the reality for many women around the world, especially in rural areas without basic infrastructure.

These journeys are often long and physically demanding, sometimes requiring women and girls to walk for miles while carrying containers weighing up to 40 pounds. Imagine carrying four full gallon paint cans or an inflated car tire for several miles every day, not for work or fun, but because it’s the only way your family has access to water. 

This invisible labor has lasting consequences: missed school days, reduced economic opportunities, and increased exposure to safety risks along travel routes. In rural Kenya, for example, girls may wake before dawn to walk hours to the nearest water source, returning home exhausted and late for school. Similar patterns appear in South Asia and informal urban settlements, where time spent collecting or waiting for water reduces girls’ attendance and limits women’s participation in paid work. These journeys can also carry safety and health risks, exposing women and girls to harassment, injury, and long-term physical strain.

Meanwhile, families relying on unsafe water sources also face higher rates of waterborne diseases such as cholera and diarrhea, reinforcing cycles of poverty and poor health that disproportionately affect women and children. These breakdowns often hit women the hardest due to established gender roles that make them primary caregivers and household managers.

Reliable water access creates the conditions for empowerment. When families have clean water at home or nearby, girls can attend school consistently, women can pursue employment, and communities can invest in health and economic growth. 

The United Nations established Sustainable Development Goals that balance social, economic and environmental sustainability. Access to clean water and sanitation is one of those goals, but water justice intersects with others as well. It’s impossible to reduce poverty, increase lifespans, and even achieve higher rates of literacy or gender equality without considering water access. 

Improving water access not only meets basic needs but also frees time, expands opportunity, and supports more equitable social roles within households and communities. So why is it so hard to improve access to water?

The Structural Barriers to Water Equity 

Infrastructure failures  — such as underinvestment in public works, rapid urbanization, and old systems that were never designed for current population levels or extreme weather — happen both because of climate change and long-standing political and economic neglect. 

When infrastructure fails, women are typically responsible for securing water, food, medical care, and childcare under increasingly difficult conditions. All of this only reinforces cycles of inequality. 

For example, in cities like Dhaka, Bangladesh, seasonal flooding frequently overwhelms drainage and sanitation systems, contaminating drinking water and spreading disease. Rapid urbanization has far outpaced infrastructure development, leaving informal settlements especially vulnerable.

Addressing these challenges requires more than individual action, it requires systematic change. Governments, policymakers, corporations, and communities must collaborate to ensure that water infrastructure is resilient, safe, and equitably accessible. Clean water must be recognized not only as a necessity but as a human right and a tool for social transformation. 

Water Scarcity Affects Everyone 

While women and children are among the most affected, water scarcity also impacts entire communities. Low-income households, rural farmers, Indigenous populations, and residents of rapidly growing informal urban settlements are those most likely to live under the threat of climate change and to lack good public infrastructure. As a result, the burden of water scarcity extends beyond individual households, shaping broader patterns of environmental stress and human vulnerability.

These pressures ripple across both urban and rural spaces. In urban spaces, floods destroy sanitation systems and contaminate drinking water, increasing the risk of disease outbreaks. In rural areas where agriculture is key, water stress disrupts staple crops such as maize, rice, and wheat, reducing harvests and increasing food prices. Floodwaters that take a long time to recede foster conditions in which diseases like cholera, diarrheal infections, and malaria spread more easily. Farmers lose income, families face rising food insecurity, and local health systems become strained. 

Too often, water is only considered as an environmental resource. But these environmental pressures also weaken overall community resilience, or the ability of communities to adapt to environmental shocks, maintain livelihoods, and recover from disasters without long-term harm. When water is scarce, it is a question of equity, opportunity, and human rights. 

Every Drop Counts

Small, localized actions add up to meaningful change. Communities that organize around water access — whether their work involves wells, sanitation projects, education campaigns, or policy advocacy — create momentum that ripples outward. 

One community water well can improve education and health outcomes for generations. One urban rainwater project can reduce stress on municipal systems. One advocacy campaign can influence national water policies. For example, installing a nearby community well in rural Ethiopia has been shown to reduce waterborne illness and increase girls’ school attendance. 

History shows that lasting social change rarely comes from isolated individuals. Just as the Clean Water Act of 1972 in the United States relied on broad coalitions, water justice today requires participation at every level, from volunteers and educators to government officials and global organizations.

The problem is urgent, but the solutions are within our reach when communities, governments, and individuals act together. That’s why World Water Day 2026 exists. Everyone, globally and locally, has a role to play in building equitable water systems. 

Every drop counts — every effort, from advocacy to education to investment, pushes the world closer to water justice.

On Our Earth, Water Means Life

While these systemic challenges may seem daunting, they also highlight the power of collective action. Around the world, communities are working together to expand water access and reshape policies that determine who has the right to safe water. Our Power, Our Planet means we all have the ability to do something to create change. 

Water powers life here on our planet, and water equity is an important part of the environmental movement. Volunteer with EARTHDAY.ORG to organize events, support women-led projects, advocate for resilient infrastructure, or simply share knowledge on environmental topics like water equity. Sign up to receive updates and be part of the movement to shape the planet’s more equitable future.

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Each time someone asks ChatGPT a question, the exchange feels nearly invisible: just text appearing on a screen. But behind that response lies a massive physical infrastructure drawing electricity, consuming water, and producing carbon emissions at an unprecedented scale. As generative artificial intelligence becomes embedded in everyday life, the environmental footprint of the system powering it is growing just as rapidly.

OpenAI has acknowledged that users now send roughly 2.5 billion prompts per day to ChatGPT. Each prompt requires computation inside energy-intensive data centers, where servers run continuously to process, store, and generate responses. While a single query may seem insignificant, the cumulative demand of billions of interactions translates into real and measurable environmental costs.

While a single AI query may feel insignificant, everyday use adds up quickly at scale. A typical office worker might use ChatGPT about 20 times a day to summarize a meeting, draft emails, brainstorm ideas, and outline a report. Each prompt uses an estimated 0.34 watt-hours of electricity — roughly the amount of energy needed to run a standard LED lightbulb for about two minutes. Over a day, that adds up to about 6.8 watt-hours per person. 

On its own, 6.8 watt-hours per day is minimal, but scaled to one million daily users, that becomes 6,800 kilowatt-hours — enough to power roughly 225 U.S. homes for a full day. At 100 million users, the number jumps to 680,000 kilowatt-hours daily, comparable to the electricity consumption of more than 22,000 households. Small individual actions, multiplied globally, begin to resemble the energy footprint of the entire community. 

Data Centers and the AI Boom

Generative AI relies heavily on hyperscale data centers, the largest category of computing facilities in the world. As of 2024, there were 1,136 hyperscale data centers globally, with the United States accounting for 54% of global capacity. These facilities are expanding in both size and power density, driven largely by AI workloads that require constant, high-performance computing. 

The environmental implications are already visible. At more than 4%of total U.S. electricity consumption, data centers now use roughly as much power as all residential lighting nationwide — and more electricity than many individual states consume in total. Projections cited in the same analysis suggest that figure could rise between 6.7% and 12% by 2028 as AI systems continue to scale.

This surge in electricity demand presents a challenge for both U.S. national climate targets and global climate goals under the Paris Agreement, which depend on rapidly reducing fossil fuel use even as electricity demand grows. While renewable energy capacity is expanding, much of the U.S. grid still relies on fossil fuels. As a result, increased electricity use by data centers often corresponds directly with higher greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon Emissions at Scale

The climate impact of AI infrastructure is no longer speculative. A roadmap study from Cornell University estimates that AI-driven data center expansion could generate between 24 and 44 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually by 2030. That range is comparable to adding millions of gasoline-powered vehicles to U.S. roads each year.

The emissions stem from multiple sources: the electricity required to run servers, the energy used for cooling, and the upstream carbon footprint of power generation. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, fossil-fuel power plants also consume substantial amounts of water, linking carbon emissions and water use in ways that amplify environmental stress.

AI’s Thirst for Water

While electricity consumption often dominates discussions about AI’s climate impact, water use is an equally pressing concern. Data centers rely on water-based cooling systems to prevent servers from overheating. Research summarized by MIT Technology Review shows that AI servers operating within standard “cool” temperature ranges — typically between 18°C and 27°C (64-81°F) — can require one to two liters of water per kilowatt-hour of electricity consumed, depending on system design and local climate conditions. At one to two liters per kilowatt-hour, generating the electricity for a single AI-heavy household’s daily energy use can require the equivalent of an entire person’s daily drinking water — just to keep servers cool.  

In 2023, U.S. data centers consumed an estimated 17 billion gallons of water. Given that the average American uses between 30,000 to 36,500 gallons of water annually, that volume could meet the full yearly water needs of roughly half a million people. In effect, data centers now “drink” as much water each year as a mid-sized American city. 

The consequences are especially severe in arid regions. A Bloomberg analysis found that many new AI-driven data centers are being built in already water-stressed areas, including the American Southwest. In Reno, Nevada, a growing data center hub, climate assessments show high long-term drought risk, raising concerns about the sustainability of continued industrial water use — and putting residents at greater risk of water restrictions, rising utility costs, and heightened vulnerability during prolonged drought conditions.

Local investigations have already documented these pressures. Reporting by The New York Times found that a Meta data center in Georgia uses roughly 500,000 gallons of water per day — enough to supply the daily water needs of several thousand residents. Similar conflicts are emerging nationwide as communities grapple with competing demands for limited freshwater.

Transparency Gaps and Policy Challenges

Despite the scale of energy and water consumption, reporting requirements remain limited. Most technology companies do not publicly disclose facility-level data on water withdrawals or cooling practices. Experts cited by The Guardian have warned that the lack of mandatory reporting for data center energy and water use makes it difficult for regulators and communities to assess environmental risks or plan for infrastructure strain.

Without transparency, local governments may approve new facilities without fully understanding long-term impacts on water systems, electricity prices, or emissions targets.

Paths Toward Sustainable AI

There are viable ways to reduce AI’s environmental footprint. Research from Cornell indicates that strategic siting of data centers, renewable energy integration, and advanced cooling technologies could significantly lower emissions and water use if adopted at scale. In some scenarios, improved cooling efficiency alone could reduce water consumption by nearly a third.

The United Nations has repeatedly emphasized electrification — shifting cars from gasoline to electric vehicles, replacing gas heating with electric systems, and digitizing infrastructure — must be paired with rapid expansion of renewable energy sources like wind and solar. Without decarbonizing the grid at the same pace that electricity demand grows, increased digital and AI infrastructure risks locking in higher emissions rather than reducing them. 

Innovation With Accountability

AI systems like ChatGPT offer real social benefits, from education and accessibility to research and communication. But as adoption accelerates, so does the responsibility to ensure that innovation does not come at the expense of climate stability and water security. 

EARTHDAY.ORG has long focused on making environmental costs visible. The infrastructure behind AI is no exception. As billions of daily prompts translate into rising energy use, water withdrawals, and carbon emissions, the future of AI will depend not just on technological advancement, but on whether its growth aligns with the planet’s ecological limits.

Powering AI Without Polluting the Planet

You can help ensure that all energy infrastructure — including the power behind AI — is clean, renewable and responsibly built.

Sign the Renewable Energy Petition urging world leaders to triple renewable energy generation by 2030 — a benchmark climate scientists say is essential to meeting global emissions targets. Past public pressure has helped accelerate renewable commitments at both national and corporate levels, and continued engagement remains critical.
In the U.S.? You can also send a message to your local lawmakers urging them to invest in renewable energy and grid modernization so that digital innovation doesn’t deepen the climate harm.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is cleared for use with attribution. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at fielder@earthday.org. Want more articles? Follow us on substack.

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August is National Water Quality Month, established to emphasize the importance of water for humanity, ecology, and economy. It is a great time to appreciate and take stock of our clean water resources. With climate change and human overuse triggering more frequent droughts, water is becoming an even more precious commodity, and researchers are being forced to find solutions in unusual places. So, could the answer to our water needs be running through our sewers?  

The Solution in Our Sewage

Some regions are being hit harder than others. Since the year 2000, the Southwestern United States has been experiencing a megadrought: over two decades of high intensity drought. Its severity rivals the most severe droughts of the late 1500s. Exacerbated by climate change, this drought is considered the worst the region has faced in over a thousand years. 

Water levels in rivers and lakes are dropping due to a combination of intensely dry weather and continued human overuse of the water that remains. Towns and cities in the region are scrambling for a solution.

Enter wastewater reclamation: the process of cleaning and reusing water which has already been used — be it from our kitchen sinks or even our toilets! 

Several countries already use wastewater. Facilities like the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant in Namibia and Changi Water Reclamation Plant in Singapore have been hugely successful in using advanced water treatment technologies to transform wastewater into high-quality, safe water. 

The US could benefit from following their example. Southwestern cities across California, Arizona, and Nevada, are already viewing wastewater reclamation as a solution to their water needs. Expanding wastewater reclamation efforts to wider areas could be massively beneficial for climate resilience.

Let’s take a deeper dive into three global cities that showcase the ingenuity of wastewater reclamation.

Windhoek, Namibia, Africa

Namibia is no stranger to water scarcity. As one of the driest countries south of the Sahara, it has long sought ways to increase and make the most of its limited water supply. In 1968, it opened the Goreangab Water Reclamation Plant (GWRP) in its capital city, Windhoek. 

Goreangab was the first facility in the world to engage in Direct Potable Reuse (DPR) — filtering and disinfecting sewage to extremely high standards before it is reintroduced into the drinking supply. Goreangab’s success set a precedent, and Windhoek is still a shining example to the rest of the world. In 2002, GWRP was replaced by the New Goreangab Wastewater Reclamation Plant (NGWRP), which now provides 21 million liters daily — over a third of the area’s drinking water.

The idea of drinking purified water that was once sewage is unthinkable to many, but Goreangab employs an intensive 10-step process, including several layers of filtration and disinfection, even using bacteria to help remove organic matter in the water. This ensures that the water Goreangab produces meets Namibia’s own rigorous water quality standards as well as those of the World Health Organization (WHO). And it works: the facility has never been the cause of waterborne disease.

But DPR is not the only method of water reclamation. Most places that reclaim their water for drinking follow Indirect Potable Reuse (IPR). IPR involves mixing reclaimed water with unused water in an “environmental buffer” such as a lake before treating it again to make it safe to drink. Orange County in California, for instance, has long used IPR, and many perceive it more positively than DPR despite its higher energy costs and longer turnaround times.

Singapore, Southeast Asia

One of the most famous IPR facilities in the world is Singapore’s Changi Water Reclamation Plant. With a processing capacity of 920 million liters of purified water per day, Changi is more than 40 times bigger than Goreangab. 

Changi is also unique in that it sits below another facility: the Sembcorp NEWater Plant, which further purifies the water processed at Changi into “NEWater.” The final ultra-clean product is mostly used in Singapore’s many factories, but some is added to drinking water reservoirs, especially during the country’s hot summers.

The Changi plant was recognized at the Global Water Awards 2024, along with Singapore’s desalination plant, which turns seawater into drinking water. Together, these two facilities allow Singapore to maintain access to clean water despite its lack of abundant freshwater sources like rivers or lakes.

St. George, Utah, United States

Windhoek and Singapore are both large cities, but in the American West, water shortages are severe enough that even St. George, a small city of only 200,000 people, has decided to commit to the high financial costs of water reclamation. The project will cost about a billion dollars in total. 

St. George has many programs in place to conserve water, including paying residents to tear up their lawns and replace them with water-efficient landscaping. Limits on outdoor irrigation further reduce water use. Residents are even subsidized to replace old toilets with more efficient models. 

The new water reclamation plant, with 60 miles of new pipeline, and advanced wastewater treatment technology will enable them to stretch their resources even further.

The St. George facility is not yet completed, but by the end of 2025, it will be several times the size of Goreangab and serve surrounding towns as well. The initial plan is to use the water on fields and lawns to free up drinking water for locals. They will likely switch to DPR within 20 years.

While there are no active DPR facilities up and running in the United States right now, El Paso, Texas and San Diego, California are both considering DPR projects for the future. And diminishing regional water sources mean that we will likely see more water reclamation projects in the coming years across the Southwestern U.S.

Looking to the Future

As global temperatures continue to rise and our need for water increases, droughts are likely to worsen in frequency and severity. To ensure that everyone has water access in the decades to come, drought-prone areas must use it as efficiently as possible. That means conserving water, but it can also mean recycling our wastewater to be used more than once.

Don’t look down on wastewater reclamation, particularly DPR — thanks to the strict standards it is held to, it is entirely safe. This National Water Quality Month, think about how we can best conserve our fragile water resources. Wastewater reclamation has proven its value several times over; it could soon become a much more widespread strategy for water conservation.

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Drawing millions of tourists annually, the Great Pyramids of Egypt stand as one of the most awe inspiring and resilient architectural designs of human history. They have stood for nearly 5000 years enduring extreme weather conditions such as drought, rainfall, and high temperatures. The magic behind the pyramid’s longevity comes from its triangular shape that evenly distributes the weight and impact of these external forces, preventing erosion and deformation.

However, if one side wall were to break, the two remaining sides would lose their stability and the structure would quickly collapse. Just as any other pyramid structure, its strength comes from its sides that provide the internal stability. In the same way, we as humans have needs for our own well-being. 

On the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs lies a person’s first and most essential physiological needs: breathing, food, water, shelter, clothing, sleep. With these being the bedrock of survival, they are directly connected to the global food, water, and energy systems. Food, water, and energy are all intertwined, and one cannot be sustained without the other. Take, for example, how water provides the hydration and food we need to survive and energy powers the infrastructure and processes that bring us clean water and produce food. If any one of these aspects is missing, it affects the others and undermines our basic needs.

The food-water-energy nexus forms the foundation of human existence, much like the sides of a pyramid that depend on each other for structural integrity. When we have a stable flow of food, water, and energy, we can thrive, allowing us to move upwards through the hierarchy of needs, toward the higher levels of safety, love, esteem, and ultimately self-actualization. However, if one of these more base needs is compromised, it creates instability, preventing us from meeting the higher needs in Maslow’s pyramid.

Food Holds Everything Together

While the majority of the Earth’s surface is covered by water, less than 1% of that water is fresh and salt free. To make this water drinkable, it must go to a water treatment plant that utilizes energy-intensive processes like filtration, disinfection, and distribution. 

On the flip side, water is used during every phase of energy production from extracting resources to cooling power plants. These systems are directly connected: Energy is required to produce water and water is used to produce energy. 

Within the lakes of New Jersey lies the largest floating photovoltaic plant that mutually benefits both water and energy systems. This system places rows of solar panels directly on the surface of the Canoe Brook Reservoir which powers the nearby Canoe Brook Water Treatment Plant. Rather than outsourcing its energy needs to solar panels on land, this technology provides clean energy while reducing water evaporation, protecting water resources, and minimizing land use. Alongside that, the natural cooling effect of water prevents the solar panels from overheating and increases electricity gains up to 22%.

These technologies are a great start for conservation, but it does not protect the needs of food. Given that the agriculture sector consumes about 70% of global freshwater, much of their needs are met with naturally occurring reservoirs and aquifers. The floating photovoltaic plant doesn’t allow sufficient solar radiation to reach the microbial aquatic community which changes its natural water levels. This can have negative effects for downstream ecosystems of agricultural land that depend on these waters, and essentially harming food production in the long term. And without food, there’s no reason to preserve water and energy resources.

Without Water, the Pyramid Cannot Stand

As the human population continues to grow by the millions each year, feeding everyone nutritious meals is one of the most pressing issues of our time. When the price of energy increases, the price of fertilizers, electricity for machinery, and processing all go up too. As a result food availability and accessibility will be more restricted.

The Safi Region of Morocco has a solution that resists using fossil fuel for energy generation by integrating wind energy, with a wind-hydrogen conversion system, to enhance their agriculture production. Specifically, these wind turbines ensure reliable energy supply by utilizing the hydrogen power to store its energy for greenhouse operations like irrigation, heating, and cooling. This has led to substantial reductions in carbon emissions as a result, allowing this model to be adopted in other arid and semi-arid regions.

Although this system has been able to support food production through clean energy, it has had a direct impact on the environment. Due to the fact that hydrogen energy undergoes a process called electrolysis where water is split into hydrogen and oxygen elements using electricity, large amounts of water is used. This has increased water stress in the region and has left aquifers dry. The region’s lack of policies and regulation in protecting water usage has worsened this issue and deteriorated its water quality, directly impacting the health of its people and the environment. While food and energy can mutually benefit each other, it cannot be sustained without proper water planning as all resources depend on water availability.

While energy is conserved and dependable for food production, the maintenance of these energy sources have increased water stress in the region and have left aquifers dry. Without the proper method of water preservation and regulation, there are again losses in agriculture. Not to mention, the deteriorating water quality can have direct health impacts on people and the environment.

What Happens When Energy is Lost?

More often than not, water and food insecurity occur simultaneously. Water scarcity limits agricultural productivity whereas food scarcity can exacerbate clean water accessibility. Especially since producing and transporting food requires significant water resources, communities are only left with contaminated water sources for everyday use. This directly and indirectly impacts malnutrition of children and adults, further emphasizing the consequences of these systems being independent of each other.

But there are solutions. Here’s how— in Bangladesh farmers take existing fish ponds and plant their rice paddy fields within them. Typically, paddy is grown in flooded fields but due to the groundwater shortages in the country, many farms have dried up. This approach allows rice yields to increase by 8 to 15% with the nutrient cycling and pest control handled by the fish.

Despite such innovative methods, Bangladesh still faces extensive drought periods every year. When ponds and aquifers are dried out for irrigation, farmers must utilize electric pumps to draw water from deeper in the ground. These pumps are overworked during the heat and operating at a much higher rate, consuming more energy than usual. This goes to show that without using effective energy management strategies, climate change will drain energy resources faster. 

The Triangular Nexus: Where Food, Water, and Energy Converge for Global Sustainability

Attempting to achieve food, water, and energy security independently is like trying to balance the three corners of a pyramid—it simply cannot be done without endangering the availability of the other resource. In our growing world, there is only a limited amount of these natural resources before we risk completely exploiting the Earth. 

Understanding how these systems are tightly interwoven within the triangle of food, water, and energy allows for the development of better technologies, practices, and policies that address these systems together. 

Utilizing the nexus, Sundrop Farms in Port Augusta, Australia which grows tomatoes, harnesses solar energy to power a desalination plant that provides clean water for their greenhouse. Despite Australia being prone to extreme climate, making agriculture difficult, they are able to produce 15% of the country’s tomatoes! They are fresh-water self-sufficient by converting seawater from nearby gulf which means they do not use locally contaminated groundwater. Their solar farm not only produces enough electricity to power their desalination plant but also utilizes any excess energy for heat and storage facilities as well.

Ensuring that food, water, and energy has a circular flow, these kinds of holistic systems efficiently utilize and optimize our finite resources. By being local and self-sufficient, they are also able to adapt to fit their own climate change challenges. With this adoption of the ‘Nexus Approach’ we can foster true sustainability and transcend our hierarchy of needs because our basic needs have been met: Food which nourishes us. Water that sustains us. And power — clean, renewable power — that is the invisible force that keeps everything powered up and working. 

To initiate the Food-Water-Energy Nexus in your area, changes need to happen within our government. Instead of treating food, water, and energy as separate sections, they must be integrated and seen as interconnected components of a single system. 

Encourage your local community to commit to sustainable development by signing EARTHDAY.ORG’s Renewable Energy Campaign petition as the first step toward establishing the foundation of the Food-Water-Energy Nexus. Protecting both our future and the planet starts with leaders prioritizing investments in renewable energy. In the U.S., you can also show your support for clean energy by reaching out to your state legislators.

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For over 50 years, the Clean Water Act has been the dam holding back unchecked pollution, but with one ruling the Supreme Court just punched a hole right through it. Now our waterways, drinking water, and public health are at risk and everyone will suffer. 

In a case that saw the City of San Francisco vs. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) , a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling has opened the floodgates for raw sewage, industrial waste and other pollutants to be dumped directly into our oceans, rivers, and drinking water with little to no regulation. It happened not with moral outrage or public marching or madd indignation – five Supreme Court judges just determined that clean water is no longer a priority. 

This decision directly weakens the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA), which came after the first Earth Day in 1970 saw 20 million Americans marching in the streets to secure it and clean air, and strips away the EPA’s ability to regulate offshore pollution, while also making it impossible to hold polluters accountable when water quality declines. Now the court says the EPA must issue specific, case-by-case limits for each polluter, making it much harder to enforce strong universal protections for all of our water. 

This ruling that most Americans will not approve for and didn’t get to vote on reverses decades of progress and may lead to weaker environmental protections overall. 

Under San Francisco’s current discharge permit, existing limitations are already insufficient to safeguard water quality. The city’s aging sewer system discharges 196 million gallons of untreated sewage directly into San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean while heavy rains frequently overwhelm this deteriorating infrastructure, triggering sewage overflows. These issues cause frequent sewer backups to nearby homes and businesses and contribute to dangerously high concentrations of bacteria, and even floating toilet paper.

The First Earth Day: From Black to Green 

California has long been at the center of environmental conflict. From coastal flooding and raging wildfires to soil erosion and devastating oil spills like the 1969 Santa Barbara disaster that sparked the very first Earth Day in 1970. 

Back then the world watched as Santa Barbara’s golden beaches turned black after a blowout at “Platform A” operated by Union Oil, spilled over 3 million gallons of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. The thick oil suffocated marine life, killed thousands of birds, and stained California’s coast, leaving a lasting scar on the environment and forever changing the way we view water pollution. Republican President, Richard Nixon famously visited the oil polluted beach and was shocked by what he saw. This disaster perfectly exposed the dangers of unchecked industrial activity and underscored the urgent need for stronger environmental protections, catalyzing the modern environmental movement in the U.S.

The public outrage following this spill created the national momentum needed to drive for environmental action, and directly led to landmark protections like the Clean Water Act and the Clean Air Act. 

Every Earth Day since, EARTHDAY.ORG has empowered communities worldwide to mobilize and use their own voices to hold industry accountable for their role in the environmental crisis. Our initiatives, such as Cities & Governments and My Future My Voice, aim to inspire leaders and communities to work together to protect our planet while amplifying the voices of future generations. The fight for clean water and environmental justice continues because the planet belongs to all of us and  future generations and it’s our responsibility to leave behind oceans and rivers clean enough to drink, swim, and fish in.

The Cost of Profit Over Clean Water

A walk along the sea shore, the healthy escape of a fresh sea breeze, the first catch of the day —  that’s what’s at risk. Our oceans and rivers are vital to the survival of all people and the planet. Not only do we rely on these resources for recreational and economic opportunities, but also the essential environmental services they provide.

As the largest and deepest ocean, the Pacific Ocean alone covers over 63 million square miles, larger than all of the Earth’s landmasses combined. Oceans regulate the global climate by absorbing around 25% of the carbon dioxide emitted by human activity and produce more than 50% of the planet’s oxygen. They also store 90% of the excess heat caused by greenhouse gas emissions, acting as a buffer against climate change.

Marine ecosystems support an estimated 3 billion people globally, with about 15% of the animal protein consumed worldwide coming from the ocean. The ocean economy, including fishing, tourism, and shipping generates over 2.2 trillion annually and provides jobs for more than 600 million people. Coral reefs alone contribute nearly 3.4 billion annually to the global economy through tourism, fisheries and coastal protection.

Pollution and climate change are driving this delicate balance toward collapse. Rising ocean temperatures are causing coral bleaching, acidification is weakening marine ecosystems, and plastic pollution with over 11 million metric tons of plastic entering the ocean every year is choking marine life and infiltrating the food chain. Coastal habitats such as mangroves, salt marshes and seagrass meadows, which store large amounts of carbon and protect shorelines from storm surges are disappearing at alarming rates. The health of our ocean is a direct reflection of the health of our planet. Without stronger protections, we risk not only losing biodiversity but also threatening the food security, livelihoods and cultural traditions of millions of people.

We Can’t Let Polluters Win

By siding with industry-backed arguments that favor corporate profits over clean water, this ruling limits federal regulatory power and grants industries more freedom to pollute with fewer consequences. Do not these bad decisions deter you from letting your voice, protected by the First Amendment,  be heard.  

Clean water is not a privilege, it’s a right. Join the world’s largest environmental movement! Add your name to our petition calling on global leaders to phase out fossil fuels and triple renewable energy generation by 2030. Advocate for the protection of our planet now to secure a greener future. 

This year, the 55th anniversary of Earth Day,  we launched  Earth Action Day, to honor the legacy of the first Earth Day – as was the case then, it is still the case today – education is the foundation of all meaningful, peaceful environmental action. 

Use these free materials to get educated and demand a sustainable future.  Tell your lawmakers to reject environmental rollbacks, expand renewable energy, and organize  town halls, cleanups, rallies, and voter drives to build real power.  The time for hesitation is past. Earth Action Day is our chance to ensure a livable planet for all.  Before it’s too late.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org.

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The transition to renewable energy isn’t just about slashing carbon emissions – it’s also a game-changer for water conservation because a clean energy grid has the power to reduce water use in the energy sector by up to 95% in the United States alone. 

Extractive processes in the fossil fuel industry, like drilling and fracking, consume a staggering amount of water, millions of gallons of per well. Not only that, they inject chemical-filled water deep underground which depletes clean water resources and poses a serious threat to local groundwater, risking contamination and knock on long-term environmental harm. Similarly, fossil fuel power plants devour billions of gallons of water for their cooling systems by siphoning from rivers and lakes only to later on in the process discharge it back in to the environment laden with toxins. 

Understanding how these water guzzling processes operate reveals the staggering scale of the fossil fuel industry’s water dependence – and the urgent need for cleaner alternatives like solar and wind energy generation. 

Burning Through Water: How Fossil Fuels Plants Drain Water

The fossil fuel industry’s reliance on water extends deep into the power generation process, with cooling systems at coal and oil plants using billions of gallons of every single day. These plants need water to cool the steam used in electricity generation, preventing turbines from overheating to ensure their system can run continuously.

Here’s how it works: Once-through cooling is a process that involves draining huge volumes of water from our rivers, lakes, or oceans, to cool steam generated by power plants, then discharging it back from where it was taken but at much high temperatures. 

This leads to what is called thermal pollution, which disrupts aquatic ecosystems. The short-term effects of this are heat shock to fish and other aquatic organisms, which can cause death or severe physiological stress. Long-term, this leads to biodiversity loss, harmful algal blooms, and altered reproductive cycles in marine life.

90% of the United States’ electricity comes from these power plants, which consume nearly 133 billion gallons of water per day, with cooling systems accounting for 96%. That’s enough to provide every person on Earth with more than 16 gallons of water daily!

Climate change is intensifying droughts and exacerbating water shortages, meanwhile the fossil fuel plants continue to use limited freshwater resources. But there’s a solution: renewable energy. Unlike coal and gas, wind and solar can generate power without guzzling billions of gallons of water, offering a way to break free from this overconsumption and safeguard our most precious resource.

Fracking’s Thirst

Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is a method used to extract oil and natural gas trapped deep underground in shale rock formations. The process involves injecting a high-pressure mixture of water, sand, and chemicals into the rock, creating fractures that allow fossil fuels to flow to the surface.

A single fracking well can consume anywhere from 1.5 million to 16 million gallons of water. Again this water is taken from local lakes, rivers, or municipal supplies, but in many cases, it is also drawn directly from underground aquifers, further depleting already scarce groundwater reserves. 

It is rare that this water makes it back into the hydrological cycle. Once injected deep underground, much of it becomes permanently contaminated with toxic chemicals, heavy metals, and even radioactive materials released from shale formations. 

While some of the water can be treated and reused for fracking, this process is costly and limited. Instead, the wastewater is typically disposed of in deep injection wells where it is pumped deep underground into porous rock formations. 

This poses major risks as injection wells have the potential to leak into local aquifers. In 2024, a study in Crane County, Texas, revealed that wastewater injected into deep disposal wells had leaked into shallower underground formations, leaking wastewater for nearly three years. After migrating through surface pathways and accumulating in a nearby aquifer several kilometers away, this contamination raised serious concerns about the safety of local water supplies and the potential long-term impacts on drinking water quality. The town is still in the process of determining how to treat affected water sources, but the complexity of deep aquifer pollution makes remediation extremely difficult.

Beyond the risks associated with injection wells and wastewater management, the drilling and fracking process itself can also threaten groundwater supplies. Towns such as Dimock, Pennsylvania, and Pavillion, Wyoming, have become ground zero for fracking-related water contamination. Both communities experienced widespread water pollution that threatened public health and forced families to rely on bottled water or expensive water treatment systems. Despite happening over a decade ago, groundwater contamination is still present in Dimock, and residents continue to suffer the consequences of polluted water supplies.

Thanks to legal loopholes that shield the industry from oversight, it is especially difficult to hold oil and gas companies accountable for this contamination. The Halliburton Loophole, a provision in the 2005 Energy Policy Act, exempts fracking from regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act. Without meaningful oversight, corporations continue to exploit water resources, leaving communities to deal with the irreversible consequences of polluted aquifers, undrinkable water, and mounting health concerns.

Clean Energy Solutions That Won’t Leave Us High and Dry

Practically, the only use for water in solar energy production is for cleaning purposes. As dust accumulates on solar panels, it obstructs sunlight and reduces their efficiency in generating electricity. It is estimated that this process uses roughly 10 billion gallons of water a year, but if we compare this to fossil fuel energy plants, this is less than a tenth of what they use daily!

By this metric, a switch to solar has the potential to save a single household anywhere from 16,200 to 53,000 gallons of water a year. On a national scale, this could free up billions of gallons of freshwater annually!

Wind energy, on the other hand, uses virtually no water at all. Unlike fossil fuels, which require water for extraction and constant cooling, wind turbines generate electricity without any reliance on water, making them one of the most sustainable energy sources available.

Beyond just reducing emissions, shifting away from fossil fuels has far-reaching implications for water conservation. As water scarcity grows globally, expanding wind and solar power could play a crucial role in safeguarding water security for future generations. This World Water Day is a reminder that energy and water are deeply connected, and the transition to renewables offers a path toward greater sustainability.

The shift to renewable energy is not just a technological change, it’s a commitment to protecting our planet’s most vital resources. The water crisis and climate crisis are deeply intertwined, and solutions exist… but they require collective action. 

Now is the time to push for policies that prioritize sustainable energy and water conservation. If you’re ready to take action, join us for Earth Action Day to amplify the call for renewable energy, send letters to lawmakers, and protect our water future. Every action counts, and together, we can protect our water and planet.

This article is available for republishing on your website, newsletter, magazine, newspaper, or blog. The accompanying imagery is also cleared for use. Please ensure that the author’s name and their affiliation with EARTHDAY.ORG are credited. Kindly inform us if you republish so we can acknowledge, tag, or repost your content. You may notify us via email at davies@earthday.org or fielder@earthday.org.

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“Bottled or tap?”

This is the question we are not only asked frequently at restaurants, but we also ask ourselves every time we reach for a glass of water. Subconsciously, the answer is almost always bottled. 

It’s a good time to think about water as October 18 marks the 52nd anniversary of the 1972 Clean Water Act in the U.S, which largely came about because of the very first Earth Day in 1970, when 20 million people across the United States marched, demanding clean air and clean water. 

While not everyone has access to clean drinking tap water from a tap – what’s shocking is that for many of us that do – we still prefer plastic bottled water.  Why? Because tap water is losing the PR war with plastic bottled water. 

Consider this terrible truth – producing one billion plastic bottles requires 24 million gallons of oil, and given that a staggering 79 percent of all the plastic ever made remains in polluting landfill sites around the world, why are we asking for our water to be served to us this way?

Plastics PR Coup

The public’s perception of plastic bottles as ‘better’ than tap water has been shaped by clever marketing campaigns. Brands like FIJI and Smartwater lure the public with their appealing names and promises of purity. Consequently, about 39 percent of participants in a recent Harvard study thought bottled water was superior to tap. 

But, that’s not always a fair comparison. This March 2024, the FDA recalled over 78,000 cases of Fiji,  due to the presence of three strains of bacteria and elevated manganese levels. This was followed in April when the FDA issued a second bottled drinking water recall, this time for a brand called “Waiakea Hawaiian Volcanic Water’.  While neither contaminants were considered life threatening and the Fufi Water recall was eventually downgraded to a Class III category  recall – both cases illustrate that bottled water is not immune to issues. However the one that is perhaps most worrying is around plastics getting into bottle water. 

One concerning study revealed that the average liter of bottled water can contain up to 240,000 tiny pieces of plastic, 90 percent of the plastics they found were so tiny that they were classified as nanoplastics. These particles are even smaller than microplastics, which are typically visible to the eye and roughly the size of a grain of rice. When microplastics break down further, they form nanoplastics, measuring less than 1 µm in size. This tiny size allows them to penetrate the body’s cells and tissues. 

Recent research has found microplastics in human blood, feces, and major organs. The health implications of these plastics are rapidly emerging with evidence suggesting associations with serious human health issues, including cell death and the decrease of immunity. 

EARTHDAY.ORG’s own report, BABIES Vs. PLASTICS, published in November 2023 highlighted the risks these tiny plastic pieces present to babies especially: interrupted maternal-fetal communication, damaged DNA, autism and other endocrine disruption issues such as early onset puberty and cancers, including the prostate gland of fetuses were all associated with plastics.  More research is needed to study the impact of plastic fragments, microplastics and nanoplastics, on human health as well as the plastic-related chemicals these particulates leach out into us and the environment. 

How can you avoid drinking plastic particles and plastic related chemicals ? Where possible opt for tap water because according to research from 2022 by the National Institute of Health (NIC), in Bethesda, Maryland, tap water in the US at least contains less plastic contaminants than bottled water.

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)  is responsible for regulating tap water in the United States, and monitors for 90 known contaminants in tap water. 

In San Francisco, a city that provides one of the best water qualities in the U.S, tap water is tested more than 10,000 times before being distributed. In April, 2024, the EPA announced new rules known as the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation (NPDWR), which covers six  per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) which are chemicals that resist grease, oil, water, and heat and are commonly used in plastic products.  The EPA is anticipating that the new ruling will “prevent PFAS exposure in drinking water for approximately 100 million people, prevent thousands of deaths, and reduce tens of thousands of serious PFAS-attributable illnesses”.

In addition, the EPA announced $1 billion in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help states implement rigorous PFAS testing and treatment at public water systems and to help owners of private wells address PFAS contamination. 

There have been cases of tap water being deemed dangerous, albeit not from plastics. For example in 2014 in Flint, Michigan, the local authority switched their municipal water supply source from Lake Huron to the Flint River. This corroded water distribution pipes, which then leached lead directly into tap water.  But hopefully instances like this are rare. 

Bottled water meanwhile is monitored for safety and reliability by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA manages bottled water as a food product, which means that bottled water does not have to be tested by certified laboratories for quality testing or for reporting test results.

More Positives for Tap Water

The other added benefit of tap water is that much of it is fluoridated. Fluoride is added at low levels because it’s been shown to harden the enamel layer of teeth which builds up our resistance to tooth decay.  

Tap water is significantly more economical than single-use plastic bottled water. Consumers who regularly buy bottled water pay approximately 3,000 percent more than those who drink tap water. Although costs can vary by household, the average annual water bill is around $300, translating to about a penny per gallon, while bottled water costs about $1.44 per gallon.

What’s more, an estimated 20 million metric tons of plastic end up in our environment annually- polluting the soil and our precious water table and ultimately and ironically,  ourselves. 

Reject the Bottle and Embrace the Tap

However, public skepticism over tap water persits which is helping to drive the ever expanding  $46 billion U.S bottled water market, making it one of the fastest-growing industries in the world today.

We are so habitually used to having a plastic bottle of water ready and in our grasp, that it is easy to forget about good old tap water. 

Psychologically, humans rely on two systems to motivate behavior;  system 1 is responsible for making immediate decisions, while system 2 is about making analytical decisions.  It is hard to switch to the latter system, because it requires more thinking and much more reasoning. So, when faced with the option of bottled or tap water, humans will tend to pick the one they are most familiar with, which is increasingly plastic bottled water. Even though it’s much more expensive, it is destroying the planet and poisoning our bodies with plastic particles and chemicals.  

Let’s face it: switching to tap water isn’t just a matter of convenience; it requires us to break free from our ingrained habits.  To make a meaningful change, we must learn to actively engage System 2 when it comes to our water choices. By consciously allowing our values to guide us, we can opt for tap water and help mitigate the waste and pollution associated with single-use plastic bottles, paving the way for a cleaner, healthier environment for future generations. 

To help protect our communities from plastic buildup, and inform policymakers on plastic pollution and its underlying causes, consider donating to the EARTHDAY.ORG campaign to End Plastics. By uncovering the systematic problems within plastic use, including the misinformation regarding tap water, we can make a difference for our planet – and our own health, because every plastic water bottle sold is one more bottle too much.  

The post The War on Tap Water appeared first on Earth Day.

Lining the calm, blue water, green trees with intricate roots stand out and dig deep, pointing to the fish swimming by and guiding the way to a forest full of an array of animals. Sounds like the opening shot of a movie, but this is a reality. The beautiful mangrove forests, found in various continents, are a critical source for communities and are home to a vast number of species. 

Mangroves are trees and shrubs with characteristically intricate, exposed roots that form a type of tropical forest typically located near bodies of water. More importantly, mangroves host the most diverse, beautiful, and resource-abundant ecosystems in the world. However, the rise in deforestation and the looming danger of sea-level rise have threatened the mangroves habitat, putting the area’s biodiversity as well as local communities at risk.

Here are five reasons as to why mangrove ecosystems are important along with the consequences that can occur if these areas are lost. 

1. Mangroves act as carbon sinks. 

Due to mangroves’ roots which anchor the plants into underwater sediment, nutrients and organic material from the tidal waves enriches the soils, giving mangroves the ability to store carbon, otherwise known as blue carbon. Mangrove forests are able to store up to four times more carbon than other tropical forests. Cutting down mangroves will only result in a mass release of carbon into the atmosphere.

2. Mangrove forests are biodiversity hotspots. 

Mangrove ecosystems are home to a myriad of species from marine life (fish, crab, shellfish, sea turtle, etc) to birds. The habitat serves as a nesting, breeding, and nursing ground for the plethora of local wildlife. As more and more mangrove forests are cleared, valuable habitat is lost and species such as the Bengal tiger are at risk of extinction. 

3. Mangroves improve and maintain local water quality. 

Mangroves’ network of roots and lush vegetation filters pollutants and traps sediments, preventing contamination of the waterways and protecting the habitats and the species within them. Local groups and those that live near the rivers, lakes, or other bodies of water nearby are also protected by the trees’ maintenance of the water quality.  

4. Mangrove forests double as coastal protection. 

Mangrove forests act as a physical buffer between marine and terrestrial communities. The trees protect the coastlines from severe weather events as well as slow down erosion. The mangroves provide valuable protection for those nearby communities that are prone to storms and are at risk of sea-level rise. 

5. Mangroves provide essential resources for people. 

The mangrove forests hold a variety of resources ranging from leaves used in tea and livestock feed to plant extracts used as medicine. Millions of people rely on the mangroves for food, income, and wellbeing, particularly, the forest waters provide an abundance of fish for local fishermen to sell and maintain financial stability. To estimate, 80% of the global fish catch relies on mangrove forests either directly or indirectly through the support of terrestrial and marine food webs. 

The mangrove forests are a beautiful gift of nature. Not only are the forests a wondrous sight to behold, the benefits and resources provided are immeasurable. EARTHDAY.ORG’s campaign, The Canopy Project, works towards safeguarding the mangrove forests in Bangladesh and India by planting trees, strengthening the local communities, and rehabilitating the areas directly affected by the effects of climate change. By donating to The Canopy Project, you can help protect these important mangrove ecosystems as they are a safe haven for the wildlife and local people who call the forest their home.

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Updated March 21, 2025 by Emma Holm-Olsen

South America’s Amazon Rainforest is a lush, tropical rainforest filled with trees larger than life and beautiful wildlife you won’t find anywhere else in the world. If deforestation levels continue to rise, the Amazon, like every other rainforest around the world, will dry up, becoming a lifeless, flat, and barren wasteland with no evidence of the once thriving rainforest. Cutting down trees decreases our source of oxygen, increases atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations, and directly impacts the water cycle.

The water cycle, also known as the hydrological cycle, is the continuous circulation or movement of water between Earth’s surface and atmosphere. Liquid water evaporates into water vapor, condenses to form clouds, and then precipitates back to land in the form of rain and snow. 

Other major processes within the water cycle include infiltration, runoff, groundwater, and transpiration: all different ways in which water moves across and through the ground. This cycle is important because it supplies water to all living organisms and regulates the planet’s weather patterns. Only 3% of all water in the world is freshwater, meaning 97% is unfit for consumption and irrigation. The water cycle circulates and transports freshwater, delivering clean water for drinking and agriculture.

The hydrological cycle heavily relies on trees to absorb the water in the atmosphere. Trees act as water reservoirs, taking in water from the soil and releasing it through its leaves, a process known as transpiration. The added moisture in the air results in cloud formation, leading to rainfall and the continuation of the water cycle. Transpiration also helps cool the surrounding air, just as humans sweat to cool down. 

As more and more trees get cut down, evaporation levels are disrupted, drying up the moisture in the air and throwing off the balance of the water cycle. A continual cycle of dry air, low humidity, and decreased precipitation will inevitably lead to a drought-prone, desert-like climate. 

Infiltration and runoff are additional components of the water cycle impacted by deforestation.

Normally, tree leaves and roots soak up rainwater, ensuring an adequate amount of infiltration and reduced levels of water runoff. However, deforestation results in the opposite: decreased infiltration and higher amounts of runoff. Without trees, there is nothing to hold the soil cover. Soil erosion rates are increased, leading to more frequent flooding and higher likelihoods of pollutants sweeping into nearby water reservoirs.

The ways in which deforestation is altering the water cycle in real time are perhaps most apparent in the Amazon. The Amazon’s climate, and that of surrounding regions, is heavily influenced by the considerable levels of moisture in the atmosphere, which provides high amounts of rain (hence the term “rainforest.”) Unfortunately, in the last 50 years, around 20% of the Amazon has been lost due to deforestation. If current trends continue, it is predicted that the Amazon will reach an irreversible tipping point by 2050, leading to rapid, large-scale ecosystem collapse. 

These massive changes to our planet’s forests pose significant risks to communities all over the world, including higher urban temperatures, more frequent wildfires and degraded air quality, but are having particularly devastating impacts on cities which are relatively close to deforested areas. São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil and just a four-hour plane ride from the Amazon Rainforest, has recently been suffering from one of the worst droughts in the country’s recent history, a direct effect of deforestation in the Amazon. 

Trees are the backbone of life. EARTHDAY.ORG’s campaign, The Canopy Project, plants trees to manage biodiversity, decrease carbon levels in the atmosphere, and fix the balance of the world’s essential hydrological cycle. Through The Canopy Project, we have rehabilitated heavily deforested areas, such as Cape Town, South Africa, by planting trees to restore the climate, increase rainfall, and preserve water in local aquifers. 

Your donations to The Canopy Project help safeguard critical environments struggling under the weight of deforestation by growing trees and protecting the balance of the water cycle.

The post How Deforestation Affects The Water Cycle appeared first on Earth Day.

For Washington, D.C., recent improvements to the Anacostia River — including a new sewer tunnel and a dredging project— aren’t without social consequences. These developments have sparked fears of environmental gentrification for D.C.’s southeastern neighborhood of Anacostia. 

The Anacostia River, which runs right through the city, has long been known as D.C.’s “forgotten river” and a symbolic division of wealth and race. The U.S. Census reports that nine out of 10 residents of Anacostia are African-American, and the median household income is less than half the general D.C. median income.

Environmental issues have disproportionately affected people of color in the United States, who lack the financial resources and political power to advocate for change. The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, the transfer of coal ash dust to Uniontown, Alabama and the high asthma rates in inner cities demonstrate this inequality.

But even when environmental improvements take place, especially in urban centers, the area becomes more attractive to developers, rent prices rise and disenfranchised locals find themselves displaced entirely.

With the development — and gentrification — of neighborhoods like Navy Yard on the river’s west side, the Anacostia river has quickly become a cultural center of D.C. Residents get married at Kingman Island, fish near The National Arboretum and kayak the river after work. Now, developers are eyeing the neighborhood east of the river: Anacostia.

Successful river cleanups coordinated by city officials have increased the popularity of these neighborhoods. However, these cleanup efforts have put the residents of Anacostia on high alert.  

Degradation of the Anacostia River isn’t new — it dates back to when tobacco plantations deforested the region, allowing sediment to build up in the riverbed. In some areas, the river still doesn’t flow during low tide. Plus, there’s the rampant pollution: swimming in the river has been banned since 1972, after decades of industrial pollution from military manufacturing in Navy Yard, power plants, the Kenilworth Dump and outdated sewage systems. 

Finally, with a new sewer system and community cleanups, the river is being restored and developers are buying up property. But many advocates want to ensure that Anacostia development both improves the health of the river and protects low-income residents. Developers and environmental groups are listening to local residents and planning to empower them.

The biggest effort is the 11th Street Bridge Park Project, which would build the city’s first elevated park by 2023. The park will span the river to connect pedestrians in Navy Yard and Anacostia, symbolically crossing the wealth division. It will even feature an environmental education center showcasing the river’s polluted history and future improvements.

But the project’s director, Scott Kratz, also aims to serve current residents through community garden plots for access to healthy food, small business loans and home buyer’s clubs to prevent displacement.

Additionally, the Anacostia Riverkeepers offer boat tours from Kingman Island to educate visitors about the history of environmental injustice, and the Anacostia Watershed Society engages the community in cleanups to foster local passion for the river’s health.

We can all agree that a cleaner river will benefit the health of D.C.’s residents and ecosystems. If these developments continue to prioritize justice and equality, the Anacostia River could serve as a powerful example of sustainable and equitable development for cities around the world.

You can encourage sustainable urban development in your city through registering to vote for environmental issues, joining or organizing a local cleanup through Earth Day Network’s Great Global Cleanup, and taking part in EARTHRISE, the global digital mobilization for the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on April 22, 2020.

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