feelguide | Tensions are high in the state, and small conflicts are breaking out as people are beginning to steal water from others. Caroline Stanley of Refinery 29 writes: “As Tom McKay points out, the water crisis will likely have the biggest impact on the state’s agricultural community — which currently accounts for a whopping 80% of its water usage. (According toCarolee Krieger, president and executive director of the California Water Impact Network, the almond crop alone uses enough water to supply 75 percent of the state’s population.)
But, recently, your average citizens are feeling it, too. People in the Bay Area are actually stealing water from their neighbors.”
So what will happen when California turns into a dust bowl? Will the beauty and rich fabric of California’s cultural historyevaporate as well? SF Weekly put together a list of the top 51 reasons why California is America’s greatest state, and you can read them HERE.
BuzzFeed also points out the 32 reasons why California is the most beautiful place in the world and you can read them at BuzzFeed.com as well. And what about the amazing culture of spirituality, peace, tolerance, ingenuity, and love that permeates the Golden State — would we lose that too?
From another perspective, the North American food supply will also suffer a devastating blow because the state’s agricultural production zone is smack dab in the middle of the drought’s most severely hit area. And not only will California’s farming industry come to a screeching halt — the little water that is left will be so filled with toxins and pollutants that it will be undrinkable for local residents. Mother Jones put together an eye-opening set of infographics which paint a disturbing picture, and you can study them below.
37 comments:
The real answer lies here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk
But damned if I can understand why these killer-apes would rather fight over the deck chairs on the Titanic rather than get to business changing the way they live...
lol, where's Peter Thiel and that big-money Silicon Valley brain trust that bets big, goes big, blah, blah, blah..., when old Jerry Brown and the people of California really need them?
Righ'chere: http://www.bizjournals.com/sanfrancisco/blog/2014/01/drought-thiel-zuckerberg-musk-zynga.html?page=all
Oh... wait.... lol
See, what we have here is a failure to recognize where value is created, how, by whom, etc..., in the digital world it's been the lack of regulation that accounts for the rip snort pace at which real value has been engendered by the titans (see what I did there?) of Silicon Valley. What you need to do is to respectfully reflect on the heroic sagacity of Thiel et al....,
The bankrupt company aside, Thiel's bearish appraisal of the federal government is one that many share, particularly within the tech industry. Washington is slow, has a penchant for gridlock and is stuffed to the gills with old, white men. All of this creates a sense of stagnation that stands in stark contrast to the dynamism of the Valley, where ideas are constantly being developed, refined and rejected. Investors such as Chamath Palihapitiya, a former Facebook vice president and one of the founders of lobbying group FWD.us, have said that it's now "excruciatingly, obviously clear to everyone else that where value is created is no longer in New York, it's no longer in Washington, it's no longer in L.A. It's in San Francisco and the Bay Area."
For Thiel, this trend is tied to a much broader notion about globalization. Traditional power centers like New York and Washington did really well for themselves so long as nations rose and fell on the basis of international finance or geopolitics. The process of drawing the world closer through advanced communications and trade, said Thiel, reinforced that prosperity. But the housing bust and the financial crisis marked a turning point.
"I think with the benefit of hindsight, we will realize 2007 was the peak of globalization," he said.http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2015/04/01/why-paypal-co-founder-peter-thiel-thinks-the-american-democracy-is-dead/
The report we'd be reading if dude hadn't video'd this execution by overseer A North Charleston police officer was forced to use his service weapon Saturday during a scuffle with a suspect who tried to overpower him and seize the officer's Taser, authorities said.
The man, who has a history of violence and a long arrest record, died on the scene as a result of the encounter, despite officers performing CPR and delivering first aid, according to police reports.
The shooting was the 11th this year by a South Carolina police officer. The State Law Enforcement Division has begun an investigation
into the incident.
Police identified the officer involved as Patrolman 1st Class Michael Thomas Slager and the suspect as Walter Lamar Scott, 50, of Meadowlawn Drive in West Ashley. Slager, 33, served honorably in the military before joining the North Charleston Police Department
more than five years ago. He has never been disciplined during his time on the force, his attorney said.
The incident occurred behind a pawn shop on Craig Street and Remount Road. Slager initially pulled Scott over for a broken taillight. During the stop, police and witnesses say Scott fled the vehicle on foot. When Slager caught up with him a short distance from the street, Scott reportedly attempted to overpower Slager. Police say that during the struggle, the man gained control of the Taser and attempted to use it against the officer.
It was during that scuffle that the officer fired his service weapon, fatally wounding Scott.
“Shots fired, and the subject is down. He took my Taser," Slager radioed immediately following the shooting.
Slager “felt threatened and reached for his department-issued firearm and fired his weapon,” his attorney said in a statement on Sunday. “I believe once the community hears all the facts of this shooting, they’ll have a better understanding of the circumstances surrounding this investigation.”
Slager's attorney maintained that the officer believed he properly followed all procedures and policies before resorting to deadly force.
“This is part of the job that no one likes and wishes would never happen,” Police Chief Eddie Driggers said, according to a release. “This type of situation is unfortunate and difficult for everyone. We are confident that SLED will conduct a complete and thorough investigation into the incident and provide their findings to all concerned.”
A previous accusation that Slager assaulted a burglary victim was found to be without merit. In that case, it was determined that the officer had been within his rights to use force to defend himself after a man tried to overpower him.
Scott had a lengthy rap sheet extending back to at least 1987, when he was arrested on a charge of assault and battery. In 1991, he was convicted of possession of a bludgeon. He also had a history of arrests related to contempt of court charges for failing to pay child support, and in 2008 was convicted of driving under suspension and having an open alcohol container in his car.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/08/walter-scott-shooting-without-video_n_7024404.html
Water use in So Cal was up 2% YTY in February. The state used slightly less water due to conservation in the north.
"Huffman called out one industry in particular, saying, “A new form of
legalized gambling is rampant in our Central Valley: according to CA
Dept. of Agriculture, in the midst of this extreme drought, 70,000 acres
with 8.3 million NEW almond trees were planted! That’s the opposite of
conservation.”"
Meanwhile, in the far north end of the state, 50 million gallons of water a day run into the Pacific Ocean.
http://lostcoastoutpost.com/2015/apr/6/midst-statewide-drought-humboldt-has-too-much-wate/
What if any real-world impact do you expect the situation and the story to have on you?
I expect higher retail water rates and food prices. That's it. They may do some serious trimming of that almond crop, but that's it.
It's a perverse system. Since Marin cut water use so much due to the drought, but municipal water services have fixed expenses, our rates are going up BECAUSE WE CONSERVED. Water utilities can't make more than their expenses--if use goes down and expenses stay flat, water rates go up.
Look, we are going to see, broadly, what benefits the powerful. Huge inflation for expensive, income-producing assets (stocks, homes, businesses) and deflation in consumer good pricing. Already happening where I live. Stocks will rise, home prices will rise, low end wages will fall. Poor people will be permanent renters but their material needs will be cheaper. They'll also earn less.
Or that's my guess.
Then I'm perplexed by all the hand wringing and woe-is-me in the prevailing mainstream media california drought narrative. The very thought that income-producing assets there in the middle of our new pacific coast desert might appreciate in price is jarringly counter-intuitive. To me, that's the equivalent of saying that building stock values could rise in Nevada or Arizona where the cost of the non-negotiable way of life has knocked the bottom out of the real estate markets.
What set of interests mainly stand to benefit in California from pitching this desertification story?
I'm thinking a resounding, "no."
http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article10311635.html
and In reality, a coward racist executes a poor man, behind his back, then looks over his shoulder, in case anubody watches, then proceeded to perform ESP/channeling meditation because talking with corpses and handcuffing them belong to that realm. and he planted something, the taser, righf after handcuffing him. some times real justice is served.
RIP W. Scott *****
Musical chairs on the deck of the Titanic IS reality.
The 2009 law is for urban water. So that 14% growth in water use by 2030 is of the 20% that's non-ag. So 2.8% water use increase in 15 years is the overall number, with 14% population growth. That's not bad.
If ag in Ca reduces water use by under 1/2 of 1%, water use stays flat with the population growth.
The problem is the drought. And I don't predict rainfall or lack thereof-not my forte. If we are in a megadrought that lasts with multiple years of no reprieve we're pretty screwed.
The interesting part to me is --what controls, fees, and markets develop? What Cass Sunstein-esque social push is being made here? This is a fairly simple issue--we get rain and pay more for food (to implement water saving techniques or because of scarcity) or, again we're totally screwed.
But the various machinations around this legit drought are far more about pesky human issues than any serious environmental change we need to make (in the 20 year time frame anyway).
For example, we have a lawsuit before the state supremes to see if tiered pricing is constitutional. Drought is real--many of the actions around it have everything to do with the long game of making water a commodity instead of a utility, and little to do with urgent needs for intervention.
We need snow--everything else is a power game.
Slight error math-wise there.
It's 16% growth in (municipal) water use by 2030. So it's actually 3.2% overall increase in water use, not 2.8%.
Point stands--my bet is that this results in financialization of water masquerading as environmentalism.
I'm pro conservation--I just think our water problem is no rain, and the offered solution will be an elaborate financial/political market for water rights.
OTOH, folk could just obey officers' commands, not flee, and not resist, then there would not be any problem.....
That's easy. They're a gang of Rand bronies.
BD will seee your Soul Food and raise you some iq75 IvoryTower N-1..... http://newsbusters.org/blogs/tom-johnson/2015/04/03/rutgers-professor-religious-right-worships-fictional-ahole-god-white
There's the rub. The means exist, but the psychology, organization, and will - do not and cannot - be focused and brought to bear to implement necessary reconfiguration/solution commensurate with the problem. That the world's 7th largest economy and purported national brain trust cannot save itself from a largely self-inflicted catastrophe is instructive wrt to our larger species prospects.
Not just CA. NA, a traditionally arid continent, is the only continent-sized red flag on the world drought map.Interesting, Canada is #1 in food security.
Generally, I'd agree. However, with all the ground water gone and half the above-ground water gone, I think you don't have any doubling periods left...
...and the solutions aren't even that hard.
That's system 2 talking. From the perspective and priorities of system 1 - they're impossible. I found the tune DD whistled as walked past the grave yard very telling We need snow--everything else is a power game.
Is that Kahneman's system 1 and 2? I got that book in 2012 but just haven't gotten around to reading past the first chapters.
Yes. Interchangeable with Gurdjieff's essence and personality - but dolled up in late 20th century nobel laureate terminology so folks won't roll their eyes and think I'm off on an arcane new age jag...,
Can't tell if I'm being called a level 1 mouth-breather. Anyway, I don't see a level 1 solution to a mega drought. As JMG would say, it's a predicament not a problem. Problems have solutions. The reaction to this crisis will be neither sensical or efficient. Because a mega drought had no solution, and if we avoid it there's no actual crisis that can be addressed in a meaningful way.
The solution requires concerted and sustained system 2 effort, investment and application - which fact won't even get an airing. Your responses indicate an appropriately skeptical posture wrt the necessary and desirable technocratic system 2 propositions. Implicit in your responses is resignation wrt the prospects of Dr. Benton Quest showing up to save the day.
And here comes the power play, right on schedule.
http://www.sacbee.com/news/state/california/water-and-drought/article17920022.html#tabs-b0710947-1-tabPane-2
Haven't heard anything about it this time around, but 20-30 years ago when California acknowledged they had a long-term watershortage down the road, there was a proposal to build a pipeline to the South from the Columbia River. Did not go over very well with Northwest locals. Probably beats drinking/bathing in desalinated radioactive Fukushima water....
Gets too cold in the Northwest. Not only would the politics sink like a lead balloon, it would cost ~$900Billion to build this pipeline and water and the maintenance costs are incalculable as water doesn't perform the way that highly viscous oil does under long range transport via pipeline.
Was not suggesting it was a terrific idea, but BD predicts more will be heard of this proposal. You could run it right down the coast to avoid serious cold and pumping elevation hassles. Slurp it out just far enough from the mouth to avoid tidal salinity. After all the hydroelectric potential has been realized....
No it won't. In fact, the only proposal that makes any sense at all involves tapping this supply http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/12/131208085304.htm - and I posited along about the time these supplies were initially publicized that you could read the tea leaves in the great game of musical chairs on the deck of the Titanic, by whether or not TPTB allowed the great unwashed hordes to slake their non-negotiable and bottomless thirst on these pristine sources.
I still firmly believe that the answer is NO!
Actually, both of those are pretty crazy, energy intensive ideas with a bunch of new infrastructure required.
And Don, you must not be from around here--earthquake country. No pipelines on the coast please, even full of water.
No, I'm guessing they'll do the water bags .
I'm just going to use this thread as my repository for stories on the theme. Or, the opposite of what 90% of commenters here do (where every worldview is a hammer and every comment is a nail).
http://www.mercurynews.com/drought/ci_27954116/california-drought-court-rules-tiered-water-rates-violate
I saw this story. Penalize conspicuous consumption?Water experts have cited studies for years showing that higher costs for water reduce consumption, but critics say it penalizes residents who have larger lots and live in warmer areas.
One city that has put in place a system of very high costs for high use -- Santa Cruz -- has cut water use 24 percent since last summer, and has among the lowest per-capita water use levels in California.Madness! Are we now communists?
If we were communists, this would be an amazing thing! As it stands, the inevitable reassignment of water rights and restructuring of the pricing model is going to look much more like the Ferguson Municipal Government when it gets finished than a responsible sharing of the commons.
Tiering sounds good. The current system is pretty whack. Both of those are completely beside the point--this is about control of the real liquid gold. Shit is worth Billions, and stealing those rights held by weak hands (farmers with 100 year old rules giving them water). Ask my relatives on the UP what a 100+ year old, undeniably legal right does for you if you have no power:
http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2015/04/14/michigan-sells-treaty-protected-pristine-public-land-limestone-mine-159996
The rule of law has always been a bad joke played on the powerless. In the context of musical chairs on the deck of the Titanic shit's gone be straight Palestinian...,
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