When Water Runs Low, Population Matters

Drought, wildfires, and population growth are putting increasing pressure on America’s water resources. Across parts of the United States, severe drought is putting that reality into sharp focus this summer. Reservoirs are dropping, rivers and streams are running low, farmers are facing water shortages, and dry conditions are helping wildfires spread quickly across already parched landscapes. In Utah, where the …

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America’s Freshwater Is a Finite Resource

  • August 24, 2026
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Population Growth Adds Mounting Pressure to the Water Supplies We All Depend On   Water covers most of our planet. Yet the freshwater that sustains human communities, agriculture, wildlife, and ecosystems represents only a tiny fraction of the water on Earth. As National Geographic explains in its Earth’s Fresh Water educational guide, “more than 99% of Earth’s water is unusable …

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Living Beyond Earth’s Sustainability Threshold

Earth Overshoot Day 2026 falls on July 30 On July 30, humanity will reach Earth Overshoot Day—the date when humanity has exhausted Earth’s annual ecological budget of resources and services. From that point forward, our demand for nature’s resources and ecosystems exceeds what Earth can regenerate during the entire year, meaning we are effectively borrowing from the future by depleting natural …

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