Dams Are Not the Answer

There is a growing water problem in the arid western states of our country. Part of it is the long running drought but the true problem is the rapidly expanding population in these states. If you have ever been to a city like Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, etc during two different years, it is easy to see just how quickly these places expand. Of course they aren't anything like many Eastern Seaboard cities, they grow out, not up. That causes many problems, such as a healthy tax base in proportion to the area. More importantly though, water is what brings life, and it can bring the opposite as well to this region. Naturally we want to preserve our homes and our ways of (wasteful) life, so we'll go to ridiculous extremes to keep that water flowing.

From RawStory:

"The West and the Northwest are increasing in population growth like never before," said John Redding, regional spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation in Boise. "How do you quench the thirst of the hungry masses?"

The population of the Western states grew nearly 20 percent in the 1990s, to more than 64 million, and continues to swell even as climate change poses new threats to the water supply.

Ironically, consideration of new dams comes even as older ones are being torn down across the country because of environmental concerns — worries that will likely pose big obstacles to new construction. In Oregon, a deal has been struck to remove four dams on the Klamath River to restore struggling salmon runs.

So why would we create more problems with dams when we already know they are proven losers? Well there's money in it for one. Another obvious answer is that it is a relatively quick, short-term fix to supply a whole lot of water and power. Basically it is about instant gratification, and these burgeoning municipalities to increase revenues and size while the individuals cash in on relatively inexpensive real estate.

Now what should we be doing instead? Well you can't stop population growth, but you can regulate it. Legislators should be focusing heavily on conservation, green technology, low-water appliances and building up, not out. Many of these cities have conservation programs, but they aren't enough. I lived in Tucson for several years and watched the effects of the scarcity of water. Sinkholes opened up, the water table kept dropping and yet, the city kept expanding. If we aren't careful in places like these, the results could be disastrous.

Praying For Rain

Spitzer may be in the local and national spotlight over his drivers license fiasco but at least New York doesn't have Sonny Perdue. The Georgia Governor is doing his best to help his drought-stricken state by....praying. He is also urging people to conserve water but that doesn't really help the towns that can only have access to water for three hours a day. What Perdue thinks he'll get from prayer, only the lord knows.

From The Boston Globe:

The governor will host a prayer service next week to ask for relief from the drought gripping the Southeast.

"The only solution is rain, and the only place we get that is from a higher power," Perdue spokesman Bert Brantley said on Wednesday.

Perdue's office has sent out invitations to leaders from several faiths for the service, set for Tuesday.

Perdue has several times mentioned the need for prayer -- along with water conservation -- as the state's drought crisis has worsened. Over the summer, he participated in day of prayer for agriculture at a gathering of the Georgia Farm Bureau in Macon, Ga.

This may score political points with his Christian conservative base, but what will it do for thirst of Georgians regardless of their faith or those that are atheist or agnostic? I'm all in favor of prayer, but practical solutions need to be looked at. Putting down the debate over climate change might be a good one to examined as well. Can Senator Inhofe and his doubting friends try to end their ignorance now?

A Not So Spectacular 4th

While we here in New York are hoping for dry weather tonight to see the fireworks extravaganza over the East River, there are many places across the country that are canceling their fireworks show due to fire danger. Many regions are experiencing severe droughts that cause extremely dangerous fire conditions. The South, Southwest, parts of Appalachia and even Minnesota are having a hard time accruing precipitation to meet the needs of their locales.

From USAToday:

A laser light show will replace traditional July Fourth fireworks in Burbank, Calif. Woodstock, Ga., canceled its fireworks and plans to shoot them off on Halloween.

Dozens of communities in drought-stricken areas are scrapping public fireworks displays and cracking down on backyard pyrotechnics to reduce the risk of fires.

"From a fire standpoint and a safety standpoint, it was an easy call," Burbank Fire Chief Tracy Pansini says. He recommended calling off fireworks at the Starlight Bowl because they're launched from a mountainside covered with vegetation that's "all dead."

Los Angeles and the surrounding Southwest are beginning to get used to dry conditions. Studies are beginning to predict perpetual drought in that region. Now many other areas have to deal with the changing climate and that includes not seeing fireworks on July 4th. Of course many people will set off illegal pyrotechnics despite the bans and fines. That is exactly why many communities are canceling their shows so that local fire departments can focus on putting out those fires.

For all those considering to put on their own show, please consider watching something on TV, you aren't only endangering yourself, you are putting your community at risk.

Lord Bring Me Water

Alabama is one of many states across the country that are facing tremendous droughts (except for the Plains that is being flooded) this year. What is a Governor to do when he sees his state suffering? Pray to God we get some precipitation. Is that it Governor Riley? Yep.

From The Birmingham News:

With the state's weather forecasters not delivering much-needed rain, Gov. Bob Riley on Thursday turned to a higher power. The governor issued a proclamation calling for a week of prayer for rain, beginning Saturday.

Riley encouraged Alabamians to pray "individually and in their houses of worship."

"Throughout our history, Alabamians have turned in prayer to God to humbly ask for his blessings and to hold us steady during times of difficulty," Riley said. "This drought is without question a time of great difficulty."

Drought is a terrible thing, and prayer is a good thing to soothe the mind, but will it bring rain? Doubtful. Things that will help are calls to conserve water and for farmers to plant accordingly. Riley does not even bother addressing the issue of climate change either.

Computer models predict that growing regions will move north as the planet becomes hotter. The increasing amount of carbon dioxide will also (and already is) disrupt weather patterns, making conditions more erratic (See floods in the Plains, drought in the west and south). Governor Riley, faith without works is dead and if we do not do something collectively to face climate change, all the prayer in the world won't help us.

Evacuating Australia

Climate change is affecting the entire planet, from severe snowstorms in Colorado, the melting Alps and Arctic Sea, excessive heat in Europe this spring and now the massive drought in Australia. The land down under is being hit particularly hard because of the severe lack of water across the continent. In fact, things are getting so bad, that entire towns are now being considered for evacuation.

From The Courier Mail:

TWO towns on Queensland's Darling Downs face evacuation because they have almost run out of water and cannot afford to indefinitely cart supplies.

Senior state bureaucrats have discussed the possibility of moving residents from Leyburn, population 200, and Killarney, home to 1500 people.

One of Leyburn's two bores has run dry and there are fears the other could follow.

It is costing $8000 a week to cart water to Killarney, which is at the source of the Murray Darling river system.

These are just two small towns in the eastern Australian state of course. Yet the drought is affecting the entire country. Imagine what would happen if the situation got so dire that major international cities like Brisbane or Sydney would have to be evacuated. Would you move the population nearby to Eastern Asia? Or to cold and rainy Canada? Things are getting so crazy down there over water that weathermen are turning to the aborigines for predictions and dirty car owners are finding nude car washes.

People, climate change is serious business. This is just one example of the many changes forced upon human life that is the result of human life and waste. We must change our way of life and live more in harmony with the planet. If we don't, there will be bigger evacuations, as the seas rise and swallow islands, eventually many more places will be submerged. Eventually, there will be no place to turn.