|
Top headlines
Lead story
Arizona is booming, especially its metropolitan counties, which have some of the fastest-growing economies in the nation. But a regional water shortage is already curbing development in some Phoenix suburbs, and it could undercut the state’s expansion.
State officials are considering building a massive desalination plant on the Sea of Cortez in Mexico and piping water from there to Arizona’s thirsty cities. But water experts Gabriel Eckstein, Sharon B. Megdal and Clive Lipchin aren’t convinced that this expensive option will secure Arizona’s water future. Instead, they write, the state should take a page from Israel, which has figured out how to prosper in a desert setting by obtaining water from many sources and using it wisely.
[ Sign up for our weekly Global Economy & Business newsletter, with interesting perspectives from experts around the world. ]
|
Suburban development in Maricopa County, Arizona, with lakes, lush golf courses and water-guzzling lawns.
Wild Horizon/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Gabriel Eckstein, Texas A&M University; Clive Lipchin, Tel Aviv University; Sharon B. Megdal, University of Arizona
Arizona is considering a multibillion-dollar desalination project to address its urgent water needs. Three water experts call for a go-slow approach and point to Israel as a role model.
|
Economy + Business
|
-
Raymond Gibney Jr., Penn State
When unions amass large sums of money to parcel out to workers, it can give them more leverage in negotiations with employers.
|
|
Arts + Culture
|
-
Katie Kapurch, Texas State University
People might go to the movies to escape reality. Yet Barbie and Ariel choose to live in the world their audiences inhabit − and, in doing so, decide to die.
|
|
Education
|
-
Erica Jacqueline Licht, Harvard Kennedy School
Diversity programs benefit schools and students in multiple ways, research shows.
|
|
Science + Technology
|
-
Harold Tobin, University of Washington
The idea that scientists could warn a region that a big quake was coming at a certain time – with enough advance notice for large-scale preparation and evacuation – remains a dream, not a reality.
|
|
Health + Medicine
|
-
Suresh V. Kuchipudi, University of Pittsburgh
Researchers still don’t know how well BA.2.86 will evade immunity or whether it will cause more severe disease than its predecessors.
|
|
Ethics + Religion
|
-
Garrett Potts, University of South Florida
The idea of a ‘calling’ has stretched far beyond its religious roots. But the way US society talks about meaningful work isn’t always helpful.
|
|
Politics + Society
|
-
Pamela S. Nadell, American University
Antisemitism on X recycles ancient tropes falsely blaming Jewish people for a wide range of social and political ills, and for their own victimization.
|
|
International
|
-
Julius A. Amin, University of Dayton
No US president has set foot on sub-Saharan Africa since 2015 – and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.
-
Iain White, University of Waikato
A controversial new city project in northern California has echoes of past utopian plans – but idealism and commercial reality have always been uneasy partners.
|
|
