One of the common themes in drought journalism (mine at times included, sadly) is the tendency to cry “drought” at minor excursions into the down side of natural variability, when the real problem is not so much water supply as voracious consumption. Blaming nature is a whole lot easier than blaming ourselves. Is that the …
Great piece by Matt Jenkins in the latest High Country News about the Colorado River, and how it doesn’t really have as much water as we think. If you care about western water (or love a good water yarn), go read the whole thing.
Closing out a rainless February, Albuquerque ties the record for driest start to a year. update: Just for the record, while there was no rain at the official Albuquerque weather station, I did record 0.01 inch at my house Feb. 11.
It all comes down to water: Two-thirds of the world’s population will face a lack of water in less than 20 years, if current trends in climate change, population growth, rural to urban migration and consumption continue, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro warned today. Worth noting that, given climate change commitment, only three of …
From the department of shameless self promotion, if you’re in the Albuquerque area you should block out some time this evening around 7 p.m.-ish to watch In Focus on KNME, public telly channel 5, where I will be trying to explain brackish groundwater issues. Then watch this space tomorrow, as I try to walk back …
On water policy, growth policy, and cooking dinner in the shower.
Via Michael Campana, a remarkable graph:
David Zetland, the bad boy of water economics, offered up a fascinating argument the other day regarding the traditional argument that agriculture used three quarters of the water in the West. When a farmer irrigates her field, who is it who’s really the “user”? When I use water to flush the toilet, that water only …
I would like to thank Nora for bringing this to my attention.
If OPEC priced its oil based on how much it costs to get it out of the ground, we’d be swimming in it right now. Or, more precisely, we would have been swimming in it, until we used it all up. The peak would have come long ago. When the market prices oil, the cost …