Experts in the News

Aimed at combating severe drought, China’s water diversion project is expected to cost $62 billion. But fellow Gabe Collins said that these large-scale engineering efforts “could actually exacerbate the drought situation.

Drought is straining China’s energy resources, with Sichuan’s largest coal-fired power plant operating at full capacity for much of August. Energy fellow Gabriel Collins remarked that this was "eye-catching" because “the average plant utilization across China over the last few years has been closer to 50%."

A looming water crisis in China not only could affect the country's grain and electricity production, it could also induce global food and industrial materials shortages, wrote fellow Gabe Collins and co-author Gopal Reddy.

Given Russia's invasion of Ukraine -- which apparently has been more difficult than the Kremlin envisioned -- how might a similar attempt by China to seize Taiwan play out? "If the invader can’t force capitulation within three to four days, it’s likely in for a grinding, protracted campaign," said fellow Gabe Collins.

Groundwater has become exceedingly important for Texas and fundamentally underpins the state's growth, said Gabriel Collins, the Baker Botts Fellow in Energy & Environmental Regulatory Affairs. But with its reliance on the "rule of capture" and the patchwork of local rules from various groundwater conservation districts, Texas' water future is uncertain.