To donate by check, phone, or other method, see our More Ways to Give page.

×
      LATEST NEWSOPINIONCLIMATEECONOMY POLITICS RIGHTS & JUSTICEWAR & PEACE
      LATEST NEWS
      OPINION

      water

      A boy fetches water from his family's well

      UN Urges Global Cooperation as Quarter of Humanity Lacks Safe Drinking Water

      "Water is our common future and we need to act together to share it equitably and manage it sustainably," said the director-general of UNESCO.

      Julia Conley
      Mar 22, 2023

      Amid a lack of global cooperation, the world is far off-track in achieving universal access to clean drinking water by 2030, according to a United Nations report released Wednesday as officials marked World Water Day.

      TheUnited Nations World Water Development Report 2023 was released by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as global leaders convened in New York for the first international conference on water in nearly half a century.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      Water
      People unloading bottle water from a truck

      Water's Moment: Advancing the Human Right to Water in the United States

      Water isn't a commodity to be sold to only those that can pay. It's a basic right our government must provide to all residents.

      Monica Lewis-Patrick
      Susana De Anda
      Mar 22, 2023

      More than a decade ago, the United Nations declared that access to clean water and sanitation is a human right, underpinning all other goals for equality, health, and economic prosperity. The United States did not sign on. Today, on World Water Day, global leaders are gathering in New York to discuss progress towards this goal. It's the first time the UN Water Conference is being held in the U.S. and time for our nation to embrace the moral imperative: Water is a human right.

      People tend to think of clean water and sanitation access as issues for countries with the lowest GDPs. Yet, more than 2 million U.S. residents live without safe running water or a working toilet. Millions more experience water shutoffs because of unaffordable water and sewer bills, and climate change threatens reliable access to clean water for many more communities. The water access gap also costs our national economy more than $8 billion a year.

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      Opinion
      drinking water
      Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear power plant is seen in Monticello, Minnesota on September 30, 2009.

      Nuclear Plant, Minnesota Officials Hid 400,000-Gallon Leak of Radioactive Water for Months

      Xcel Energy reported a leak of tritium-contaminated water at its Monticello nuclear power plant on November 22. State authorities just acknowledged they're monitoring the ongoing cleanup effort.

      Kenny Stancil
      Mar 17, 2023

      Xcel Energy in late November told Minnesota and federal officials about a leak of 400,000 gallons of water contaminated with radioactive tritium at its Monticello nuclear power plant, but it wasn't until Thursday that the incident and ongoing cleanup effort were made public.

      In a statement, Xcel said Thursday that it "took swift action to contain the leak to the plant site, which poses no health and safety risk to the local community or the environment."

      Keep ReadingShow Less
      News
      nuclear power
      SIGN UP FOR OUR NEWSLETTER
      Quality journalism. Progressive values. Direct to your inbox.
      Follow Us
      Most Popular

      East Palestine Soil Contains Dioxin Levels Hundreds of Times Over Cancer Risk Threshold

      It's Clear the GOP Is a Party of Death, Not Life

      'Beautiful': Minnesota Becomes 4th State to Provide Free School Meals to All Kids

      'Threat to the Nation': Trump Calls for Protests to Stop Potential Arrest in Echo of Jan. 6

      Warren Demands Probe Into Bank Failures, Urges Biden to Fire Powell

      'An Abomination': Powell Cut Mention of Regulatory Failures From Bank Bailout Statement

      Reckless Capitalist Banks Rescued by Government Socialism – Again!

      Manhattan DA: Trump's Intimidation Efforts Won't Be Tolerated

      Bailing Out the Undeserving Rich—Again

      After Brutal Assault, Yanis Varoufakis Urges Progressives to Focus on 'What Really Matters'

      SUPPORT OUR WORK.
      We are independent, non-profit, advertising-free and 100%
      reader supported.