Tianyi Luo

Research Associate II, Water Program

Bio

Tianyi Luo is a Research Associate with the Aqueduct Project at the Global Water Program. He leads advanced geospatial and statistical analysis for Aqueduct applications, and manages the data unit for the team. Tianyi has worked directly with more than a dozen multi-national companies on quantifying water risks and associated financial implications for their corporate value chains, as well as international development banks and aid agencies on assessing national and regional water security. Besides corporate and national water risk assessment, Tianyi also leads the Water Program’s effort on water – energy nexus, particularly around power generation and unconventional gas sectors. Some ongoing projects include quantifying water uses, risks, and opportunities in India’s thermal power sector, and water savings from the renewable sector in India.

Prior to joining WRI in 2012, Tianyi worked as a graduate research assistant developing remote sensing based hydrological models at Tufts University where he earned his M.S. degree in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. He holds a B.S. degree in Water Supply and Drainage Engineering from Hefei University of Technology in China.

Tianyi enjoys kayaking, skeet shooting, and painting in his spare time.

Blog Posts

Droughts and Blackouts: How Water Shortages Cost India Enough Energy to Power Sri Lanka
by Tianyi Luo - July 26, 2017
Thermal power plants rely on water for cooling, which means droughts can push generation offline. In India, reports describe this vulnerability—itself just another reason to speed the transition to renewables.
The Future of Fresh Water
by Andrew Maddocks, Betsy Otto and Tianyi Luo - June 02, 2016
Research on future water risk finds that rapidly growing demand for water will drive the greatest increase in water stress, even more so than supply changes caused by droughts and other extreme events.
World’s 15 Countries with the Most People Exposed to River Floods
by Tianyi Luo, Andrew Maddocks, Charles Iceland, Philip Ward and Hessel Winsemius - March 05, 2015
New analysis shows that approximately 21 million people worldwide could be affected by river floods on average each year, with that number rising to 54 million in 2030 due to climate change and socio-economic development.
Identifying the Global Coal Industry’s Water Risks
by Tianyi Luo, Betsy Otto, Tien Shiao and Andrew Maddocks - April 15, 2014
Regional water concerns are creating significant financial risks due to advanced global commodity trading and energy industries’ high dependence on water.

Our Aqueduct project explores how water risks are already impacting the world’s coal industry, and how risks will change over time.
Water Risks on the Rise for Three Global Energy Production Hot Spots
by Tianyi Luo, Paul Reig, Andrew Maddocks and Tara Schmidt - November 07, 2013
Energy and consulting firm Wood Mackenzie, supported by data and analysis from WRI’s Aqueduct Water Risk Atlas, surveyed water risks among the world’s top energy-producing regions. They found that three energy sectors face particularly high water risks: shale gas in the United States, coal production and coal-fired power in China, and crude oil in the Middle East.
China’s Response to Air Pollution Poses Threat to Water
by William Hua Wen, Tianyi Luo and Tien Shiao - October 23, 2013
Record-setting levels of smog this week shut down Harbin, a city of 11 million people in northeast China. Officials blamed increased coal consumption during the first days of winter heating, underscoring the urgency of the China State Council’s recently announced initiative to address persistent smog in major cities.

But while the Air Pollution Control Action Plan has ambitious goals—cutting air particulates and coal consumption—it may create unintended problems for the country’s water supply.
Majority of China’s Proposed Coal-Fired Power Plants Located in Water-Stressed Regions
by Tianyi Luo, Betsy Otto and Andrew Maddocks - August 26, 2013
To maintain its economic growth and provide for its massive population, China must reconcile two powerful, converging trends: energy demand and resource scarcity. One prime example of this tension is the country’s coal use and water supply.

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Publications

Water Stress Analysis and Recommendations for Water Resources Management in Ningxia
This report is aimed at helping governments and corporations gain a better understanding of water stress associated with local economic development and its impact on socio-economic development in Ningxia. It first analyzes water resources profiles, water resources management and current water...
by Lijin Zhong, Xiaotian Fu, Tianyi Luo, William Hua Wen and Tien Shiao - August 2016

publication
Topics: Climate, Energy, Water
Aqueduct Projected Water Stress Country Rankings
Decision-makers need future projections on water supply and demand. However, most of these decision-makers operate at the administrative or political scales, and therefore require country-level projections.

This technical note utilized a spatial aggregation methodology to bring sub-...
by Tianyi Luo, Robert Samuel Young and Paul Reig - August 2015

publication
Topics: Climate, Water
India Water Tool
This technical note describes the specifics of the indicator data and calculations underpinning the India Water Tool 2.0 (IWT).

The IWT 2.0 allows companies, government agencies, and other users identify their water risks, prioritize their water management actions, plan for sustainable...
by Tien Shiao, Tianyi Luo, Deepa Maggo, Emma Loizeaux and Chris Carson - February 2015

publication
Topics: Water, India
Geography: India
Global Shale Gas Development: Water Availability & Business Risks
This report analyzes water availability across all potentially commercial shale resources worldwide.

It also reveals that water availability could limit shale resource development on every continent except Antarctica.

by Paul Reig, Tianyi Luo and Jonathan N. Proctor - September 2014

publication
Topics: Climate, Energy, Water
Aqueduct Country and River Basin Rankings
A Weighted Aggregation of Spatially Distinct Hydrological Indicators
More and more countries around the world face high levels of water stress, but measuring and communicating that stress consistently is challenging. This paper ranks countries and river basins worldwide based on their exposure water-related risks. Specifically, it provides national and basin-...
by Francis Gassert, Paul Reig, Tianyi Luo and Andrew Maddocks - December 2013

publication
Topics: Water
Aqueduct Metadata Document: Yellow River Basin Study
The Yellow River Basin (YRB) Study provides details of the data, sources, methodology, and maps for 14 water-related indicators across the Yellow River Basin in China. The YRB Study is primarily designed for research organizations for analysis and research purposes.

by Francis Gassert, Tianyi Luo, Tien Shiao and Matt Luck - February 2013

publication
Topics: Water
Geography: China
Aqueduct Metadata Document: Yangtze River Basin Study
The Yangtze River Basin (YZB) Study provides details of the data, sources, methodology, and maps for 14 water-related indicators across the Yangtze River Basin in China. The YZB Study is primarily designed for research organizations for analysis and research purposes.

by Francis Gassert, Tianyi Luo, Tien Shiao and Matt Luck - February 2013

publication
Topics: Water
Geography: China