One way artists are raising public awareness is through the ‘Hold Water’ initiative in Jordan, the second most water scarce region in the world [UNICEF Jordan]. The USAID Water Innovation Technologies Project (WIT) launched the initiative in 2017 and has since completed 6 murals across the northern region of the country[Nour Zabalawi Communications & Outreach Advisor].

Conflicts over natural resources have occurred throughout human history. With the rise of modern society, the purity and once sacredness of our water resources has diminished. In many regions across the US, water is perceived to flow endlessly from one’s tap.

Due to aging infrastructure and budgetary concerns, many local governments are selling their water rights to large corporations. These private companies promise to fix infrastructure and deliver water to citizens in exchange for control over the city’s water supply. This transfer of ownership is called the privatization of water [Aker, P.].

Due to these rapid changes in the cryosphere [earth’s frozen lands], scientists and climate researchers are collecting critical data to observe and predict how losses and changes to the cryosphere will impact planetary stability. Studying potential and likely outcomes of a changing and shrinking cryosphere is important for mitigating climate change threats and preparing for future impacts of a rapidly changing environment.

Urban architects and planners, environmental groups and scientists are coming up with ways to help major cities lower the risk of extreme flooding events as well as capture pollutants from stormwater runoff.

This was my first NWNL post- an excerpted from my senior research project on PFAS contamination in North Carolina‘s Cape Fear River