Brazil moves to oust illegal miners from Indigenous lands in the Amazon
The invasion of miners has contributed to the spread of malaria among the Yanomami, with devastating consequences
Fresh water conservation
Fresh water makes up less than 3% of Earth’s water, yet demand keeps rising. This archive tracks real progress in protecting rivers, aquifers, wetlands, and watersheds — from policy wins and technology advances to community-led restoration efforts that are actually working.
U.S. regulators approve world’s largest-ever dam demolition and river restoration project in California
Removing four dams on California’s Klamath River will reopen more than 300 miles of salmon habitat, making it the largest river restoration project ever attempted. Federal regulators approved the $500 million plan unanimously, capping decades of advocacy led by the Yurok, Karuk, and Hoopa Valley tribes, whose cultures and food systems have been bound to these fish since long before the first dam went up. “The Klamath salmon are coming home,” Yurok Chairman Joseph James said after the vote. As drought reshapes the American West, letting a major river run free again offers a powerful template for healing watersheds, honoring Indigenous leadership, and rethinking what aging infrastructure owes the living world.
Israel and Jordan agree to team up to save Jordan River
The Jordan River’s revival would be a rare win on multiple fronts — ecological, diplomatic, and human. Israel and Jordan signed a declaration at COP27 committing to reduce pollution, upgrade wastewater treatment, and promote sustainable farming along the riverbanks. EcoPeace Middle East, the cross-border group that spent years making this cooperation possible, believes restoration could recover up to half the biodiversity lost to decades of diversion and pollution. A healthier Jordan River would strengthen the case that environmental cooperation can outlast political tension — and offer a replicable model for shared waters under climate pressure worldwide.
Abu Dhabi start-up invents method to produce fresh water from the ocean without electricity
The novel evaporation method produces no waste and can be performed without electricity, and does not generate any carbon emissions or produce toxic by-products like brine.
U.S. EPA limits pesticide pollution into rivers and streams to protect Pacific salmon and trout
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is finally acting to protect more than two dozen endangered West Coast salmon and steelhead species from pesticides.
Pollution in the Mississippi River has plummeted since the 1980s
The great waterway was shown to become filthier and filthier until 1980, when the effects brought about by the 1972 Clean Water Act (CWA) started to kick in.
China passes landmark law protecting the Yangtze River
With 96 separate provisions for the river system spread across nine chapters of legislation, it is the largest environmental protection bill the rivers of China have ever seen, and will enter into force on March 1.
Researchers have solved a water desalination problem that had baffled scientists for decades
The research team, in partnership with DuPont Water Solutions, solved an important aspect of this mystery, opening the door to reduce costs of clean water production.
Toledo, Ohio voters approve Lake Erie Bill Of Rights
Voters in Toledo, Ohio voted overwhelmingly to approve the so-called Lake Erie Bill Of Rights, a declaration that the lake has the legal right to be protected from harm from human activity.
World’s first water-free system dyes fabrics with CO2
DyeCoo uses a machine that dyes fabrics with pressurized CO2, which allows dyes to quickly dissolve and penetrate the textile — all without the use of water or chemicals.