The Future is Drying Up - Assignment Example

& Number: The Future is Drying Up (Earth Sciences) 23 November (estimated word count 032) Introduction The issue of global warming and the consequent climatic changes is on everyone's mind these days because it has brought about profound changes. The uppermost issue on top of most scientific and political discussions is the unprecedented rise in sea levels as the earth warms up and the glaciers in both poles are melting at unprecedented rates. However, what is not prominently discussed in these public discourses is the reverse side of this same problem. It is the drying up of previously wet areas of the earth which are now continuing to experience longer and more severe droughts brought ironically by the same problem of global warming. Just as a coin has two sides, global warming commonly conjures visions of oceans rising that will soon flood or inundate low-lying plains and coastal areas but the reverse side is that fresh water has become a serious problem in other parts of the world today. A lack of fresh and potable water is most acutely felt in the western parts of the U.S. today which is quite ironic as this region is the most economically dynamic and has seen the more rapid rise in population. This brief paper examines the main issues brought about by the article entitled “The Future is Drying Up” written by Jon Gertner and which had appeared in the New York Times magazine dated last October 21, 2007. Dwindling freshwater supplies is partly caused by a combination of factors, primary of which is the loss of the snow pack that is accumulated in the high mountains located in the West of the United States. There are seven states directly affected by this decrease in fresh water that also includes parts of north Mexico. Water experts foresee this problem as getting worse in the near future as industries, farms and cities continue to grow with an expanding population as water availability limits the growth. Discussion Four main points were raised by the author regarding this problem of freshwater. The first is the dwindling supply sources as cities and states continue to grow and they have to find new sources which in some cases are no longer existent. The primary cause of decrease in the water supply is the melting of the mountain snow packs from the Rocky Mountains range due to global warming. This is the main freshwater source as it flows in the huge Colorado River. Warmer temperatures had led to shorter winters in which snow failed to form sufficiently and it is compounded by increased demands for water by growing populations in the region. Lake Mead which is the main reservoir in the South-West area is now half-empty. The second main issue is mainly political in nature. The big question for the region to confront is how to divide up the waters in the Colorado River which is fast declining. There is a growing consensus among the stakeholders to re-negotiate the main features of the older water contract (signed in the 1920s) among the seven states directly affected due to changed circumstances. The problem with water is that it is a vital commodity but also defies ordinary pricing mechanisms. A new way of dealing with the problem (a paradigm shift) is needed to connect all disparate members of the water economy to come together and agree on solutions right now as its water problem is bound to get worse with unavoidable shortages (Gertner 71). The third main issue is largely economic and financial in nature. Older cities that had discovered the water sources got the rights to those sources back in an earlier era. The newer towns and cities of today have to rely mostly on groundwater (pumped from the ground up). The older cities by virtue of their water rights have easier access to surface water, which also is cheaper to obtain. In other words, there are areas which can afford to have their water while other areas are disadvantaged by the costs of bringing or piping water from faraway sources. The fourth and last main issue in this article is the question of managing properly the demand and supply of water but should be focused now on the demand side as its supply side has been more or less adequately addressed by new projects in the pipeline by water managers concerned with ensuring adequate supplies. People got used to extravagant uses of water but it is imperative that water usage should be decreased in terms of gallons per person per day. All water conservation measures should be put in place and adopted soon; additionally, people are to get used to getting more of treated or purified wastewater instead of pure snowmelt. Of the four issues mentioned in the preceding paragraphs, perhaps the most crucial is the financial issue. Water experts admit grudgingly that there is enough water to go around for the moment but to get access to the water sources, a town or city needs money to do so. So it is just a question of financial capacity of whether water will be made available or not. Piping or building a long line is expensive but technologically, it can be done engineering-wise. The only question left is if a township can afford to build such an expensive line. Or alternatively, it can choose to obtain water from the oceans by building a desalination plant. Experts are one in saying that water can be made “to flow uphill towards money” but who can afford it? Conclusion As the West continues to dry up, those with ample funds can theoretically increase its water supplies indefinitely but this raises the question of economic discrimination as towns or cities that cannot afford it will end up as losers. Moreover, it raises both the ethical and moral dilemmas that water managers try their best to avoid. Water is indispensable to human life but sometimes although there is water, not all of it is potable as it had become heavily polluted. A new sense of urgency is rising as there is now a new concept of “peak water” as a diminishing resource much like “peak oil” but although it is renewable, it is not perpetually inexhaustible. Work Cited Gertner, Jon. “The Future is Drying Up.” The New York Times Sunday Magazine. 21 Oct. 2007: 68-77; 104; 154-155. Print. Read More