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BRIEF OF AMICUS CURIAE LAW PROFESSORS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS’ OPPOSITION TO DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS TO DISMISS
A group of over 30 law professors argues that the public trust doctrine (PTD) is an inherent attribute of state sovereignty that obligates Utah to protect the Great Salt Lake. The brief contends that Utah has violated this duty by failing to restrain upper basin water diversions, which have reduced the lake's footprint by half and threatened species extinction. The authors assert that the PTD applies not only to navigable waters but also to non-navigable tributaries and groundwater that sustain the lake, citing legal precedents from other Western states like California, Nevada, and Hawaii.
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Document type: Legal commentary
Fort Collins
Fort Collins Utilities transitioned from the Home Efficiency Loan Program (HELP) to the more comprehensive Epic Homes program in 2018. Epic Homes provides low-interest loans up to $25,000 for energy efficiency retrofits, rooftop solar PV, and water conservation, with repayments integrated into monthly utility bills. The program leverages partnerships with entities like the Colorado Clean Energy Fund and Vectra Bank to secure long-term capital, specifically targeting low- and medium-income households and rental properties to improve health and equity.
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Document type: Case study
ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL ANALYSIS (EFA) GUIDANCE
The GCF EFA Guidance outlines the methodologies for performing financial analysis (from an investor's perspective) and economic analysis (from a societal perspective) to support the assessment of GCF investment criteria. It provides sector-specific recommendations for areas such as transport, water security, energy efficiency, and agriculture, while detailing the required profitability indicators, baseline scenario development, and sensitivity analysis needed for project appraisal.
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Document type: Guide
Western Cape Water Services By-laws Industry Brief
The document analyzes the alignment of water services by-laws in Western Cape municipalities with the 2005 Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) model by-law. It identifies gaps in regulatory clarity, highlights specific business risks such as industrial effluent permits and water audits, and notes that municipalities with more recent updates generally provide better certainty for investors and operators.
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Document type: Briefing
Building water resilience: Investing in alternative water sources and improving water-efficiency
The Southern Sun Newlands hotel improved its water resilience following the 2015-2018 Cape Town drought by combining behavioral changes, water-efficiency technologies, and the installation of a groundwater treatment plant. These measures reduced water consumption by over 40% and allowed the hotel to operate entirely off the municipal water grid, meeting a maximum daily demand of 40–50kl. The hotel's efforts earned it a four-star rating from the City of Cape Town's Water Star Rating programme.
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Document type: Case study
Demonstrating strategies that reduce vulnerability to climate change
The project in Makueni District, Kenya, employs a multi-pronged approach to climate adaptation, including the use of drought-resistant crops, sand dams for water access, and micro-credit for income diversification. Led by the Centre for Science and Technology Innovations (CSTI) as part of the broader ACCESA regional project, the initiative aims to integrate these local adaptation measures into national sustainable development policies.
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Document type: Case study
Water use in Canadian agriculture
The document highlights that only 11% of Canada's 64 million hectares of farming operations are irrigated, while noting that climate change increases the risk of droughts and water shortages. It emphasizes the need for water conservation and collaborative management as water demand rises, noting that 2018 irrigation water use was equivalent to the volume of water flowing over Niagara Falls over two weeks.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Cuyahoga Valley Initiative: A Model of Regeneration
The report proposes a comprehensive regeneration strategy for the Cuyahoga River Valley, centering on a 'Regenerative Development Zone' to pilot sustainable business and ecological practices. Key recommendations include implementing industrial symbiosis to redefine waste as a resource, restoring watercourses through 'daylighting' buried streams, adopting green building standards, and diversifying the energy mix with renewables and cogeneration. The authors argue that a whole-system approach—integrating water, energy, and industrial processes—will create synergistic economic and environmental value, transforming the region into a global model for industrial brownfield restoration.
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Document type: Report
21st Century Water Systems: Scenarios, Visions, and Drivers
The document outlines four plausible scenarios for the year 2010 based on federal regulatory roles and financial environments. It advocates for a 'water soft path' paradigm shift, moving from centralized, demand-driven 'gray infrastructure' toward decentralized, efficient, and integrated 'green infrastructure.' The author identifies drivers for this transition, including end-use efficiency, waterless sanitation, stormwater harvesting, and technological spill-overs from the distributed energy revolution, such as fuel cells and hybrid-electric vehicles.
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Document type: Research paper
Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in Kenya: Lessons from Makueni and Wajir Counties
The paper identifies Makueni and Wajir as early leaders in integrating climate adaptation into local development planning in Kenya. It highlights the critical role of County Climate Change Funds (CCCFs) in providing the financial and technical support necessary to move from planning to implementation. Key success factors include strong leadership from governors and opinion leaders, as well as robust stakeholder engagement involving diverse groups from national experts to nomadic pastoralists. Early results from adaptation projects in these counties include improved water access and conservation. The document recommends strengthening institutional memory through partnerships with universities and enhancing knowledge-sharing via the Council of Governors to scale these successes across all 47 Kenyan counties.
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Document type: Research paper
Learnings for Tamil Nadu From Grid-Connected Agricultural Solar Photovoltaic Schemes in India
The paper examines three state-level solar irrigation schemes in India to identify lessons for Tamil Nadu's implementation of PM KUSUM Component C. It highlights challenges in farmer financing, trust in solar technology, and the impact of feed-in tariffs on water conservation, while recommending robust monitoring and adequate tariff assessments.
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Document type: Research paper
Fewer trees, a vulnerable world
The document describes the launch of TerraMatch, a platform designed to overcome funding delays in reforestation by using an algorithm to match vetted project developers with funders based on specific preferences such as geography and restoration methods. It aims to facilitate the growth of one trillion trees to combat climate change and support vulnerable communities.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Green tips
The document outlines various household changes to reduce climate impact, highlighting that washing clothes in cold water uses about one-tenth of the energy of hot water and that LEDs use up to 90% less energy than incandescent bulbs. It notes that heating typically makes up 29% of utility bills and that reducing global food waste could lower human-caused greenhouse gas emissions by 6%-8%. Additionally, it provides statistics on water waste, such as a leaky faucet wasting over 3,000 gallons annually, and plastic waste in the US, where only 8.7% of over 42 million metric tons is recycled.
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Document type: Guide
60 Actions for the Planet
The guide outlines 60 practical actions for individuals to reduce their environmental impact, categorized by themes such as climate, forests, oceans, plastics, freshwater, food, wildlife, and biodiversity. It emphasizes the urgency of ending plastic pollution through both individual behavioral changes and support for a legally binding UN treaty. Key recommendations include transitioning to electric appliances, reducing food waste, supporting sustainable forestry and fisheries, and advocating for government policy changes like the FOREST Act and the 2024 Farm Bill.
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Document type: Guide
60 Actions for the Planet
The document outlines 60 individual actions across several environmental categories to mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change. It emphasizes that while global agreements exist, individual behavioral changes in diet, waste management, and consumption are necessary to reach 2030 nature recovery goals.
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Document type: Guide
FOOD LOSS & WASTE REDUCTION SUPPORTING A CIRCULAR FOOD ECONOMY
WWF advocates for a circular food economy to address the fact that up to 40% of food produced for human consumption is wasted annually. This inefficiency contributes to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions and costs society $1.1 trillion globally. WWF's approach focuses on three pillars: farm circularity and nutrition, circular supply chains, and policy and community advocacy. The organization leverages its global network and partnerships, including the 'Food is Never Waste' coalition and the '123 Pledge Campaign', to halve per-capita global food waste by 2030. Additionally, the WWF Impact platform provides catalytic investing and market partnerships to fund innovations that repurpose wasted food.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Food and Farm Security Summary of Recommendations for the 2023 Farm Bill
WWF urges the US Congress to utilize the 2023 Farm Bill to end habitat conversion, reverse species decline, and achieve net zero agriculture by 2040. Key recommendations include protecting the $20 billion Inflation Reduction Act investment in agricultural conservation, eliminating subsidies for the conversion of grasslands, and reducing the approximately 35% of food that goes unsold or uneaten in the US. The document advocates for the integration of Indigenous Traditional Ecological Knowledge, the promotion of regenerative agriculture, and the implementation of rigorous biodiversity safeguards for bioenergy and advanced fuels.
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Document type: Executive summary
60 Actions for the Planet
The document outlines 60 practical steps for individuals to mitigate their impact on the planet. These actions are categorized into themes: biodiversity, climate, food, forests, freshwater, oceans, plastics, and wildlife. Key recommendations include reducing food waste, transitioning to electric vehicles, supporting sustainably sourced products (such as FSC-certified wood), and advocating for public policies like the UN Global Treaty on Plastic. The guide emphasizes that collective individual choices in daily routines—such as composting, using cold water for laundry, and planting native species—contribute to global conservation efforts.
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Document type: Guide
wwf_50_actions_for_the_planet-47ca5a5df3a0b8ca.pdf
The document outlines 50 specific actions individuals can take to protect the planet, categorized into seven themes: Climate, Forests, Oceans, Freshwater, Plastics, Food, and Wildlife. It emphasizes the link between nature conservation and the prevention of zoonotic diseases like COVID-19, arguing that protecting ecosystems such as the Amazon and coral reefs stabilizes the climate and reduces disease vectors. Practical recommendations include switching to CFL bulbs, reducing car use, choosing FSC and RSPO certified products, minimizing food waste, and advocating for a 100% clean energy economy through federal legislators.
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Document type: Guide
Wednesday Water File #5: community
The guide encourages community-led cooperation to cope with water scarcity, arguing that individual stockpiling is insufficient. It suggests identifying local resources—such as plumbing skills, transport, and communication networks—and forming inclusive groups to coordinate water-saving efforts and emergency planning. The text emphasizes maintaining communication with city officials and suggests that external aid should focus on long-term infrastructure, like rainwater tanks and leak repairs, rather than bottled water.
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Document type: Guide