95: The Binational Bank Tackling the Border’s Water Crisis

The U.S.-Mexico border has become one of the most economically dynamic corridors in the world. But rapid population growth and urbanization have brought significant social and environmental consequences for the region that are only exacerbated by extreme drought.

 

John Beckham, managing director of the North American Development Bank, joined center experts Tony Payan and Ivonne Cruz to discuss the bank’s work financing sustainable infrastructure projects along the border, the politics of water scarcity, and what binational cooperation looks like in an era of climate change and industrial expansion.

 

This conversation was recorded on March 18, 2026. 

 

Featured:

• John Beckham, https://nadbank.org/about-us/nadbank-leadership/john-beckham 
• Ivonne Cruz, Ph.D., https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/ivonne-cruz

This conversation was recorded on March 18, 2026.

More about our host, Tony Payan, Ph.D.: https://www.bakerinstitute.org/expert/tony-payan 

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