Articles by Kate Zerrenner

  1. Top 5 Clean Water Stories On TriplePundit In 2020 12/30/2020

    Never has a year felt more momentous than 2020. But while our lives turned upside down in a global pandemic, water issues continued to make headlines. In fact, access to clean water became even more important when hand washing became a primary action to prevent the spread of COVID-19. And despite the fact that most of us have been at home for most of this year, climate change and its effect on water have not slowed.

  2. A Routemap For Water Companies To Boost Efficiency Worldwide 12/10/2020

    Water UK, the trade association representing major British water companies, has released a plan for achieving in net-zero carbon emissions in the water sector by 2030, 20 years before the government’s economy-wide net-zero emissions goal.

  3. What To Watch As The Texas Legislature Takes Up Climate, Energy, Water, And More 4/23/2019

    We’re past the midpoint of the Texas legislative session and the bill filing deadline is behind us. Because the legislature only meets for five months every other year, there’s a lot to accomplish in a short span.

  4. How Farms Can Tend To The Energy-Water Nexus, Reduce Costs, And Help Their Communities 11/28/2018

    Across the country, farmers face unrelenting pressure to conserve both water and energy. From California to Texas, recent droughts and declining groundwater levels require more pumping to provide irrigation water for crops. Pumping water takes energy, as do many other precision agriculture tasks involved in running a successful farm today. This symbiotic relationship between water and energy use — often called the energy-water nexus — is taking its toll on America’s agricultural industry.

  5. With Hurricane Season Approaching, Texas Should Heed Harvey's Warning On Climate Change 5/17/2018

    The 2018 hurricane season is just around the corner — June 1st, in fact.

  6. The Energy Reality Behind Cape Town's Water Crisis — And Why The U.S. Should Care 2/28/2018

    In Cape Town, South Africa, the countdown is on for Day Zero when water taps in the city of 4 million people are expected to run dry.

  7. Hurricane Harvey: Climate Change, Staggering Costs, And People At The Heart Of It All 2/20/2018

    Texans are no stranger to the devastation of hurricanes. I still vividly remember, as a young child in Austin, being scared of Alicia in 1983 — and thankful that we lived at the top of the hill. Alicia caused nearly $2 billion in damages, a record at the time, and the category 3 storm was so destructive that its name was retired. But only a few years later, that record was broken...

  8. 3 Things My Climate-Skeptic Dad Taught Me About Clean Energy Advocacy 12/13/2017

    As an advocate for the air, water, and economic benefits that clean energy provides, I find some of my most challenging — and maybe most rewarding — work is trying to engage climate-skeptic lawmakers at the Texas Capitol in Austin.

  9. The Importance Of Clean Power Desalination 7/10/2017

    Desalination giveth and taketh away — at least typically, due to its drain on energy-related resources (including water itself). But there is a better, smarter way.

  10. Just Like Social Causes, Environmentalism Is About Putting People First 6/19/2017

    The 85th Texas Regular Legislative Session has drawn to a close. Now that we've had some time to digest what went down (and get some sleep), we can reflect. There is no doubt: This was a very hard Session. Emotions were high and lives were at stake.