June 18: Today in Unsustainability.

[00:00:00]Mumbai's rationing water after June rainfall hit its 12-year low. The city depends on seven lakes for its water supply, and those reservoirs are at about 10% of their total capacity.

[00:00:09]Reuters reports that leaves the city with about 40 days of water. Authorities have temporarily disconnected water supply to construction sites. Industrial and commercial users, including sports clubs, face a 20% supply reduction.

[00:00:19]Maharashtra received 75% less rainfall than average in the first 16 days of June. NOAA has declared that El Niño has arrived. Reuters reports there's a 63% probability of a very strong or super El Niño heading into 2027. El Niño can disrupt rainfall and temperature patterns around the world. Reuters reports that every strong El Niño in the past 55 years has reduced cocoa output, according to investment firm WisdomTree.

[00:00:43]El Niño can bring dryness and heat to major robusta coffee regions in Vietnam and Indonesia. It can also affect sugar production by disrupting rainfall in Brazil, India, and Thailand. Portugal has launched a green map process for renewable energy development. The plan identifies 1,302 priority areas for wind and solar projects. 792 areas for solar, 510 for wind. The areas are near existing grid connections. The government says they have low potential for environmental conflict.

[00:01:09]Portugal says renewable power covered about 80% of its electricity consumption in the first quarter of 2026. A big tech-backed carbon removal coalition is adding another $913 million in funding.

[00:01:19]The coalition, Frontier, has also added Anthropic as a new participant. Frontier was launched in 2022 by companies including Stripe and Google. The additional funding brings total pledges to $1.8 billion. The money will target technologies including ocean alkalinity enhancement, biomass-based removal, enhanced rock weathering, and direct air capture. AP reports that mezcal production in Mexico is booming to meet global demand. Mexican production rose from about 1 million liters in 2010 to more than 11 million liters in 2024.

[00:01:48]Nearly all mezcal is produced in Oaxaca.

[00:01:51]Less than 30% remains in Mexico. About 75% of exports go to the US. A study found agave plantations in two major mezcal producing areas expanded by more than 400% over three decades.

[00:02:02]AP reports that in those areas more than 34,953 hectares of tropical dry and pine oak forest were lost in 27 years to make room for agave.

[00:02:12]1 L of mezcal can require at least 10 L of water for fermentation and distillation.

[00:02:16]The boom has created economic opportunities, but also pressure on forests, water, soil, and traditional farming systems.

[00:02:23]Sources in the description. Follow me for daily updates.