John Sabo
New Orleans
Director of ByWater Institute, Tulane University; Founder & CEO of Future H2O-B
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Articles by John Sabo
Without property taxes, townships will cease to exist | Opinion
Property taxes are the only meaningful revenue townships have to support essential services. • Eliminated property taxes would force immediate and severe cuts to schools, road infrastructure and more. • Incorporation into another city is not an option for Plain Township. As Ohio considers a proposed constitutional amendment to eliminate property taxes statewide, it is critical to understand what is truly at stake, especially for communities like Plain Township.
Morris, W. F., and D. F. Doak. 2003. Quantitative Conservation Biology: Theory and Practice of Population Viability Analysis. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA
Quantitative conservation biology: theory and practice of population viability analysis. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA Copyright © 2003 by the author(s). Published here under license by The Resilience Alliance. The following is the established format for referencing this article: Sabo, J. 2003. Morris, W. F., and D. F. Doak. 2003. Quantitative conservation biology: theory and practice of population viability analysis. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Massachusetts, USA.
We Are The Climate Sandwich Generation Saddled By National Debt Original
Fire and water are seemingly opposing forces. But in the context of global climate, they go together like peanut butter and jelly. And looking at the fire and flood tally so far, 2025 has been extra. In January, neighborhoods around Los Angeles were overwhelmed by the second and third largest wildfires in state history. New Orleans isn’t new to flooding, but the April disasters were remarkable, and Nashville was overwhelmed with water that same month.
While We Are Debating Vocabulary, Climate Change Is Roaring Onward
Earlier this month, flooding of epic proportions slammed communities from Arkansas to Kentucky to Tennessee. Call it what you want: climate change or intensifying extreme weather. It is happening. Areas such as western Kentucky and northwest Tennessee received up to 15 inches of rain, leading to river levels approaching or surpassing record highs. These are historic floods—some say of a magnitude that would only occur on average every 500-1,000 years.
It’s Fourth And Long For Coastal Resilience In New Orleans
As New Orleans cleans up from the Super Bowl, we are nearing the 15th anniversary of another big mess. The largest oil spill in history happened in the Gulf of Mexico in April 2010 when the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded. Four million barrels of oil flowed into the water during the 87 days it took to cap the well. After a number of legal settlements, enormous amounts of money to clean up and restore the affected region followed. Many projects have been funded, most limited in scale and scope.
Could Climate Adaptation Help Unify Our Divided Nation Post-Election?
With the transition to Donald Trump in the White House and Republican control of Congress, federal initiatives and incentives for climate change mitigation will likely come to a hard stop for at least the next four years. Yet nature will not take a break. The trend lines are clear: hurricanes, wildfires, extreme heat, drought, flooding and other climate-related disasters will continue to happen with greater frequency and strength. And then there are bomb cyclones. What next?
This Isn’t Your Grandparents’ Drought
How Climate Change Is Making Megadroughts And Aridification Part Of The New U.S. Normal Climate change will–is–transforming America’s Heartland. I have set out to explore howthe region is becoming drier, hotter, saltier, wetter and sicker. I’m talking with experts from a range of vantage points to discover how research and science can help us adapt and prepare for what is to come. How long does a drought have to last before it becomes something else?
The Hurricane-Land-Loss Feedback Loop
We’ve already met Alberto, Beryl and Chris. Although it is quiet now, you'll likely be hearing about Debby and Ernesto soon, and then will come Francine. Those are not trending pop stars or reality TV personalities, but rather the first six of 21 names on the 2024 list for hurricanes and tropical storms in the Atlantic basin.
From Western Expansion To Climate Change: An Abbreviated History Of Water
In an 1878 report to Congress and subsequent writings, explorer and scientist John Wesley Powell called for a science-based approach to effective management of agricultural land and freshwater resources in the center of the United States. Powell, who became the second director of the U.S. Geological Survey in 1881, identified the 100th meridian as a line of demarcation between the humid eastern side of the country and the arid west.
Earth Day Has Not “Saved The Planet.” Now What?
Another Earth Day has come and gone. News outlets dutifully shared predictable lists of eco-friendly tips, and environmental organizations doggedly challenged us to “do our part to save the planet.” I’m weary of that refrain. 2023 was the hottest year on record, and 2024 is on a similar trajectory. Around the world people are feeling the real effects of extreme heat, water shortages and natural disasters. It’s time to let go of the idea that we are saving some idealized version of the planet.
The Next Climate Adaptation Leap: Big Changes Demand Big Science
A snowstorm in Minnesota, a flood in Kentucky, a hurricane off the coast of Louisiana. On any given day, morning news reels include images of the latest natural disaster. In the era of climate change, extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and more dramatic. So we see more of these events and they make even less sense. We cannot just change the channel and pretend they aren’t happening, because those crises affect real people in vulnerable communities like where I live in New Orleans.
Mitigating The Climate Adaptation Gap
The beginning of a new year is an opportunity to reflect on the past to inform goals for improvement. From observing “dry January” to New Year’s resolutions to exercise more and eat better, this is the season of good intentions. Just like those individual declarations to live healthier are interconnected, so too are the issues of climate change mitigation and adaptation.
A Salty Future For New Orleans
I live in New Orleans, the low-lying “Big Easy” city on the Mississippi River. This fall, local news was dominated by government officials warning residents to brace for a disruption in drinking water supply because of salt water intruding into the river. Interventions by the Army Corps of Engineers and increased rainfall upriver gave us a reprieve. Local news moved on to Republican Jeff Landry winning the race for governor and LSU’s Jayden Daniels earning the Heisman Trophy.
The New York Times Diagnosed The Groundwater Crisis. Now How Do We Stop The Bleeding?
In an interview for my podcast, longtime Albuquerque Journal columnist, author and University of New Mexico professor John Fleck told me that in writing stories about water, “If it bleeds, it leads.” Stories about dry taps and footage of murky drinking water are attention-grabbing. What are the consequences of that approach for a resource like water that absolutely every living thing on the planet relies on? Exposing problems that are bleeding is important.
A Scientist’s Take On “Oppenheimer”: It’s Time For A Constructive—Not Destructive— National Lab
This summer’s blockbuster movie “Oppenheimer”follows American physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the team of experts at the Los Alamos National Laboratory as they develop the world’s first atomic bomb in just 27 months. War and science come together as Oppenheimer and others confront the wonder of their work and the morality of its destructive application. Today, the Mississippi River Basin is increasingly vulnerable as climate change tightens its grip.
Calling On Frankenstein To Clean Up Our Messes
Climate Change Is Forcing Humanity To Build Back The Nature We Need Sunlight shining through the conifer trees in Stockhill Forest near Wells, August 1, 2013. (Photo by ... [+] Claire Gillo/PhotoPlus Magazine/Future via Getty Images) Future via Getty Images Would you allow scientists to experiment with nature on large scales? Or to build new nature? Probably not, right? It sounds too much like the sequel to Frankenstein.
Calling On Frankenstein To Fix The Messes We've Created
Climate Change Is Forcing Humanity To Build Back The Nature We Need Sunlight shining through the conifer trees in Stockhill Forest near Wells, August 1, 2013. (Photo by ... [+] Claire Gillo/PhotoPlus Magazine/Future via Getty Images) Future via Getty Images Would you allow scientists to experiment with nature on large scales? Or to build new nature? Probably not, right? It sounds too much like the sequel to Frankenstein.
Dear Dr. Frankenstein
Climate Change Is Forcing Humanity To Build Back The Nature We Need Would you allow scientists to experiment with nature on large scales? Or to build new nature? Probably not, right? It sounds too much like the sequel to Frankenstein. And it’s green. But would you allow such experimentation and building if it led to solutions for climate change, biodiversity loss, future pandemic risk and many of the other staggering challenges facing us?
Coastal Protection Is Too Important Not To Experiment With
To realize a future in which we thrive with water in a place as precarious as New Orleans, we need to tinker–to experiment with strong inference and learn from success and failure. A very controversial wetland construction project underway in Louisiana presents a prime opportunity to demonstrate that this approach—intentional investments in clinical trials for planetary health—can catalyze progress. Should we tinker with it?
Sharing The Pain In The Colorado River
“We have 19th century laws, we have 20th century infrastructure, and we have 21st century climate. And those three things don’t fit very well together.” That comment in The New York Times from John Entsminger, who represents Nevada in negotiations to reshape water allocations in the Colorado River Basin, is a clear summation of the messy situation facing the 40 million people who depend on the river.
Three Steps To Build The Future Of Nature
Don’t Rescue It – Design And Engineer It Through Experimentation At Scale The future has a way of sneaking up on you if you don’t have an open mind. Ten years ago, my colleague Peter Kareiva was talking about genetically engineering meat – and I thought, “That’s never going to happen in my lifetime.” And now look where we are. So what’s the future of nature?
Can Data Deliver Safe And Reliable Water To Jackson, Mississippi?
The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi is – for many – in the rear view mirror and as such, rarely gets press. The reality is that the challenges faced by Jackson are ongoing – and the same challenges loom for many other cities in the US South. The Department of Justice has appointed a water master for Jackson, Ted Henefin; he has an appropriately ambitious agenda for water reform and environmental justice in the Mississippi capital city. One part of this agenda involves Autodesk.
Can We Store Enough Extreme Rainfall To Break Droughts?
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Can We Store Enough Extreme Rainfall To Break Droughts?
California is experiencing a record drought. October 2019 to October 2022 was the state’s driest three-year period on record going back to 1896. California is also experiencing record rainfall.
Can We Store Enough Extreme Rainfall To Break Droughts?
California is experiencing a record drought. October 2019 to October 2022 was the state’s driest three-year period on record going back to 1896. California is also experiencing record rainfall.
Why Engineering With Nature Could Save New Orleans And The Mekong Delta
When we’ve wanted to protect ourselves from nature as well as develop economically, the answer for decades has been the same: Build big, expensive, gray infrastructure. In many cases, that big, expensive, gray answer has been a big mistake.
Why Engineering With Nature Could Save New Orleans And The Mekong Delta
Article Details Author / Journalist: John Sabo, Contributor Category: StartupsTechnology Markets: Topics: Source Website Secure: Yes (HTTPS) News Sentiment: Neutral Fact Checked: Legitimate Article Type: News Report Published On: 2022-12-16 @ 06:00:00 (14 hours ago) News Timezone: GMT -5:00 Ranking: #1770 (out of 2539 stories this day) News Source URL: forbes.com Language: English Article Length: 31 words Reading Time: 1 minutes read Sentences: 53 lines Sentence Length: 1 words per sentence...
Can The Mississippi Learn From The Colorado's Failure?
The entire Mississippi River basin is experiencing drought conditions that are being compared to the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s. The scenes — from exposed shipwrecks to sand dunes cropping up where the river used to flow — are surreal, and people from New Orleans to the Upper Midwest are getting nervous. I’m increasingly being asked: Is this the future of the Mississippi?
California’s Water Strategy: A Marvelous Action Plan For Our Climate Future
Too much climate change resource planning is rooted in the present — which means it’s not adaptive to the threats and (dare I say it?) opportunities of a future under climate change’s increasing extremes. But now California actually has a water supply plan that prepares for that future.
Headline: Should We Divert The Mississippi To The Colorado? (Hint: Don’t Ask Captain Kirk)
In Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Captain Kirk and Spock travel back in time to find a couple of extinct humpback whales — the only beings that can communicate with an alien probe that has evaporated Earth’s oceans and eliminated the atmosphere, upending modern life. It is surely a fantastical story.
That National Lab For The Mississippi River: The Feedback Confirms The Need
To solve big problems, you have to put forward big solutions – solutions that break through the usual logjams and the that-can’t-be-dones. Solutions big enough to start big, difficult conversations.
Nature-Based Solutions 2.0: Show Me The Money
Nature-based solutions (NBS) – like planting mangroves to reduce storm surges, planting trees to soak up atmospheric carbon or building wetlands to soak up and gradually release floodwaters – have great potential to deliver sustainability at scale to the planet. For instance, according to one estimate, NBS could provide 37% of the emissions mitigation needed until 2030 to achieve the targets of the Paris Agreement.
Can A River Be Too Big To Fail? Why The Mississippi River Needs A National Lab
Nearly 30 percent of Americans live in the Mississippi River Basin. Water from 31 states and two Canadian provinces ultimately makes its way into the Mississippi. Because of its size and reach, from shipping and agriculture to commercial fishing and tourism, calculating the economic impact of the Mississippi River Basin is almost impossible. Yet the river that in many ways is America’s central nervous system is in serious trouble.
How Science Can Get Ahead Of Climate Change
Why can't more science be as spectacularly fast as the science to develop COVID-19 vaccines has been? In a recent piece about the slowness of clinical research for COVID treatments, Vox Media co-founder and journalist Matt Yglesias blames government bureaucracy, lack of sufficient incentives and the guardrails of traditional science itself. The Yglesias piece has me thinking: We don't just need faster clinical research for COVID.
Engineering Nature To Make Clean Energy
Thanks to the wildly popular 1995 movie “Apollo 13,” the mantra “failure is not an option” is firmly entrenched in popular culture. But it’s another line from Oscar-nominated Ed Harris, portraying NASA flight director Gene Kranz, that stands out to me: “I don’t care about what anything was designed to do. I care about what it can do.” Science and technology took us to space, and they can lead us to clean energy solutions and sustainable water infrastructure in the age of climate change.
Nature Is Infrastructure. Let’s Engineer It That Way
For scientists, publishing in respected journals is a key measure of professional success. In 2010, I co-authored an article that evaluated the science of water scarcity in the American West. It was accepted by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, and I felt pretty good about myself. That is, until my respected colleague Nancy Baron, now with leading science communications organization Compass, asked me a question I wasn’t prepared for: So what? Nancy was right.
Are Markets A Wet Dream For US Western Water?
At the close of a national water summit at the Aspen Institute—now almost 10 years ago—a program director for a philanthropic foundation that has water at the core of its mission stood up and told a room full of decorated water wonks that our thinking was thoroughly unimpressive. Incremental change, the program director told us, was not going to right the ship on water scarcity in the West and especially not in the Colorado River Basin.
Tackling Water Sustainability Is Tough For Corporations, But Here’s How It Can Be Done
Over the past decade corporations have stepped up in unprecedented ways as stewards of water. But to date they’ve primarily taken a “within-the-four-walls” approach, prioritizing typical corporate responsibility outreach and internal efficiency gains rather than on sustainability initiatives that could move the needle across a whole river basin — setting the foundation for long-term business profitability as well as the environment.
Sharon vs Slippery Rock (Oct 15, 2021)
Sharon vs Slippery Rock (Oct 15, 2021) Scoring Summary Team Statistics Individual Statistics Drive Chart Defensive Statistics Game Participation Box Score Play-by-Play Play breakdown Scoring Summary Scoring Summary (Final) The Automated ScoreBook Sharon vs Slippery Rock (Oct 15, 2021 at Slippery Rock, Pa.) Sharon (5-3,2-2) vs.
USA - Coastal Protection Is Too Important Not To Experiment With
A Go-Big or Go-Home Project As Host for These Experiments In late 2022, the Army Corps of Engineers granted permits for the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion project on the west bank of the Mississippi River.
Response to Comment on “Designing river flows to improve food security futures in the Lower Mekong Basin”
Abstract Williams et al. claim that the data used in Sabo et al. were improperly scaled to account for fishing effort, thereby invalidating the analysis. Here, we reanalyze the data rescaled per Williams et al. and following the methods in Sabo et al. Our original conclusions are robust to rescaling, thereby invalidating the assertion that our original analysis is invalid. Williams et al.
Coca-Cola’s in-house hydrologist on impact, ROI and what's next
Friday, March 22, 2019 - 1:00am Jon Radtke manages Coca-Cola’s water stewardship program, which assesses and mitigates water risks facing Coca-Cola operations with an emphasis on creating business value. His primary areas of focus include water conservation in manufacturing, source water protection, community water partnerships, sustainable agriculture initiatives and marine litter strategies.
Animal water balance drives top-down effects in a riparian forest—implications for terrestrial trophic cascades | Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
1. Introduction The evolution of terrestrial life has been driven by the challenge of maintaining water balance with scarce freshwater resources, but effects of animal water limitation on terrestrial food webs have received little attention, in contrast to plant-mediated bottom-up effects [1,2–5].
My Turn: 7 ideas that will change how we look at water
Water is abundant on Earth. The first beautiful pictures of the blue, round Earth from the Apollo spacecraft gave great power to the idea that we live on a planet literally drenched in water. But those images have often been used to invoke ideas of a fragile planet with limited resources. And with good reason. Having clean water in the right place at the right time has proven difficult throughout history.
The Second Moment of Climate Change: Fire, Flood, and Drought
A Thought Leader Series Piece By John Sabo Note: John Sabo is the Global Institute of Sustainability's director of research development, where he leads a grant proposal team that since 2008, has brought in over $44 million in expenditures. Sabo also collaborates with scientists across the U.S. investigating the impacts of water shortages on the sustainability of human and natural systems.
Sensitivity and Tolerance of Riparian Arthropod Communities to Altered Water Resources along a Drying River
Loading metrics Open Access Peer-reviewed Research Article Kevin E. McCluney , John L. Sabo Kevin E. McCluney, John L. Sabo Published: October 8, 2014 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0109276 Figures Abstract Background Rivers around the world are drying with increasing frequency, but little is known about effects on terrestrial animal communities.
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