Sophia Borgias, assistant professor of environmental, global and urban studies, is studying how communities are responding to the development of renewable energies and mining of critical minerals in the water scarce landscapes of the American West.

According to Borgias, this type of development is necessary for the transition to low-carbon energy aimed at addressing climate change. However, local communities are raising concerns about potential impacts on water resources and their implications for rural livelihoods, ecosystems and Indigenous rights.

With input from a community advisory board representing these interests, Borgias and Meg Mills-Novoa at the University of California, Berkeley, are researching the intersections of energy transition development and water resources in the arid Great Basin region.

The researchers were recently awarded a grant from the Sloan Foundation to support their studies, which include interviews and community workshops in six case study sites, as well as water rights, policy analysis and the creation of an interactive geospatial platform. Learn more on Nevada Public Radio’s ‘State of Nevada’.