A daily compilation of significant news articles and comment
April 6, 2007
2. Supply
CLIMATE ISSUES:
Study to affirm climate change warnings - Sacramento Bee
WESTERN WATER CONSERVATION ISSUES:
Water Wars: Quenching
Scientists predict next "dust bowl" - KOVA Channel 4 –
Editorial: Megadrought in our future; The next one may not be as bad as in the year 1112, but it wouldn't hurt to prepare -
Editorial: Conserve water during repair - and for long haul -
CLIMATE ISSUES:
Study to affirm climate change warnings
By Jim Downing and Matt Weiser, staff writers
The message stays the same, but it gets clearer every year: As greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere rise,
The same is true for many other water-scarce areas of the world, according to a major international study set for release today in
"If there's a key theme, it's that there are vulnerable regions and vulnerable people in almost every area of the world," said Chris Field, who directs the Department of Global Ecology at the Carnegie Institution at
The report will reiterate many already-accepted projections about the impact of climate change on the planet's coastlines, rivers, farm fields and wildlands, Field said. But new scientific evidence gives those predictions greater certainty and credibility than ever before.
Among the new conclusions:
• Drought-prone areas, including the already-arid American Southwest, will become drier. Rainfall is expected to decline up to 20 percent by century's end because an area of hot air over the equatorial Pacific is expanding, suppressing storms.
• Isolated "extreme precipitation" events are likely to become more frequent and severe, causing more floods. In
• Global agriculture production may increase in the near term, but will probably decline after a global temperature increase of 5.4 degrees Fahrenheit (the report assessed the long-term effects of warming from 1.8 to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit).
• Between 20 percent and 30 percent of the world's species "are likely to be at high risk of irreversible extinction" if global temperatures rise between 2.4 and 4.5 degrees Fahrenheit. This may have many consequences, including reduced pollination of food crops, leading to further shortages.
• It won't be enough to simply adapt to these changes, the report states. Instead, adaptation strategies such as new flood control systems or crop varieties must be combined with dramatic cuts in greenhouse gases.
Today's report, released by the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, represents the global consensus on the likely impacts of climate change. It is the first such report since 2001. More than 500 scientists contributed to a massive review of published research. The report was then edited by delegations from more than 100 nations, including the
The 20-page executive summary scheduled for release today is considered critical because it will become the basis for international climate change discussions for years to come. The full report will be published later.
Early this morning, Field and many of the other authors still were editing the document in
On topics like wildfires and water supply, today's report represents the first global-scale version of the sort of studies that scientists have been doing for decades in the western
Biologist Anthony Janetos said his research shows that global warming is driving an increase in insect infestations and fire frequency in mountain forests.
"There really is a climate response here," said Janetos, who directs the Joint Global Change Research Institute, a project of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in
Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute, an Oakland-based think tank, has studied the impacts of climate change on
"The basic message has not changed that much," he said. "With a very high degree of confidence, we know that
The growing certainty of those conclusions has pushed state water managers to think seriously about a declining water supply.
"We are looking at how to adapt," said Jerry
While frugal water use and clever engineering may ease at least some of the impacts of climate change for
Terry Root, a biologist and research fellow at
Thousands of species are moving poleward and upward in elevation to escape warmer weather. But none can move fast enough to find suitable habitat before a changed environment overtakes it, she said, and thousands are "functionally extinct" as a result.
Potentially hundreds of thousands of species are at risk.
Surprises may include fewer bird species in urban areas, which could mean fewer predators for insect pests, followed by a higher risk of disease.
"We're always going to have a green community when you look out your window," Root said. "But it may just be a monoculture. And is that going to be catastrophic in some places? It will be." #
http://www.sacbee.com/101/story/150418.html
WESTERN WATER CONSERVATION ISSUES:
Water Wars: Quenching
ABC News (National) – 4/6/07
By Terry Moran and Katie Hinman
April 5, 2007 — It's a stunningly beautiful corner of the country: the
Home to cattle ranches, alfalfa farms and endangered species, it's people who are few and far between along this desert landscape. That's because the
Dean Baker, who's been ranching in the valley for almost 50 years, says that's what makes the land unique. "Water in this country is always the determining factor," he says. "You could make this whole valley green, or put cities in it, if you had enough water. Water has always been the limiting factor, and it always will be. If there were more water here, there'd be more people."
The Inescapable Equation
People need water. It's an inescapable equation, and one that faces this western state.
Once little more than a gambling outpost,
The major water supply for
"Climate change is here," Mulroy says. "We've been living it for the last eight years. The drought on the
The plan for diversification is controversial. Mulroy, the city's water czar for almost 20 years, has proposed a plan to build a $2 billion pipeline that would pump water out of White Pine County and send it down to feed the growing water needs of southern Nevada.
Keeping the Puzzle Together
"People are moving to
But Baker is adamant that his valley not become a piece of that puzzle. Baker argues that the amount of water in the ground is so limited that any additional pumping will wreak havoc on the area's environment, and economy.
Baker says there have already been problems caused by the amount of water used in the valley, which is a "drop in the bucket" compared with the amount that Mulroy hopes to use.
"Our experience says those springs will dry up and those meadows will go away," he says. "They're the home of livestock and wildlife and all kinds of things. I just so strongly believe it will not work without leaving an environmental problem that will live for years."
Threatening the Rural Lifestyle?
Mulroy says the project will be able to respond to the environment on the spot, by drilling additional wells if the original locations start to show signs of damage.
"We're already staying away from those environmentally sensitive areas in
"There will be eco-tourism there. There will be species brought back that don't exist there today, and there will be a valley that this state will be very, very proud of. We have the financial wherewithal and the commitment as an organization to do what is necessary and appropriate to protect both the rural lifestyle and the environment."
Baker and his four sons, who work the ranch with him, say it is that rural lifestyle that is being threatened by the overwhelming growth of the city to the south. Living on a ranch is "a great way and a great place to raise a family, and we're doing that," says Dave Baker. "But secondly, as ranchers, it's ingrained in you to take care of the livestock and the land. And to sell it and send the water south would not be good stewardship."
That's why, when the Southern Nevada Water Authority offered to buy the Bakers' ranch, the family sat down for a meeting, and all voted no.
Baker says the water authority never actually named a price, but other ranches in the county have gone for as much as $40 million, thanks to the value of their water rights. "I thought about it a long time, and thought, what would I do if I had a pile of money?"
But piles of money and the excess that accompanies that are what
Mulroy argues that while it might look like the casinos are awash in water, they're actually using it very effectively. "The entire Las Vegas Strip uses 3 percent of our water. With that, it generates over 70 percent of this state's gross product. If you ask me from a purely economic perspective, is that a waste of our resources? Is that a poor investment of our water resources?" she asks. "No, it's not. It is the largest employer, and it continues to use water as efficiently as is humanly possible."
Indeed, the basement of the
Mulroy says most water waste in
Development in the Desert
Mulroy is also enthusiastic about new housing like Mountain's Edge, developed by
"The whole landscape here is drought-tolerant," explains Ritter. "That means it uses a fraction of the water that, for instance, turf would use in the desert, or subtropical plants … And it also thrives in the desert. It loves the heat."
Ritter says he's been surprised by how willing people are to adjust, even though many of his homebuyers are from other, wetter parts of the country where they might have prided themselves on their lush lawns.
"If you're going to develop in the desert, this is the way you should be developing. That's the first thing. The second thing is, and we underestimated this, what a great marketing tool [it] is," Ritter says. "And it's great, because you can do the right thing and be profitable."
But when it comes to solving
Mulroy admits that the pipeline wouldn't solve all
And, she says, fighting over it will only amplify the crisis. "To think that it's not possible because we won't work with one another, that we so like conflict, is ludicrous to me. What kind of a legacy is that to our children? … That's not the kind of legacy I'd like to leave behind." #
http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/story?id=3012250&page=3
Scientists predict next "dust bowl"
KOVA Channel 4 –
Jay Gray reporting
Experts say the climate is changing to a point where drought conditions will increase in the Southwest, leading to our nation's next "dust bowl."
That's a phenomenon that devastated communities back in the 1930's.
Most of the
The dry conditions across the region have crippled farmers and fed huge wildfires.
Another problem: not enough snow in the
Add to that the huge population shift to the West.
Cities like
At least four western states are spending billions of dollars on projects aimed at boosting the falling water line.
The question now is whether they can change the water supply as quickly as scientists believe the climate is shifting. #
http://kvoa.com/Global/story.asp?S=6333445&nav=HMO6HMaW
Editorial: Megadrought in our future; The next one may not be as bad as in the year 1112, but it wouldn't hurt to prepare
A study released this week by the journal Science says the entire Southwest, from Southern California to southern Colorado, by 2050 could become a Dust Bowl reminiscent of the great drought of the 1930s.
The prediction is based on data in 19 computer models that show a high level of agreement. Only one of the models produced results that are happier, from a consumer's point of view.
Those of us old enough to remember
Things could get grim. Jonathan Overpeck, a climate researcher at the
In 1991, water authorities cut supplies to agriculture by 75 percent and to urban areas by 25 percent. Everybody survived nicely, which is a good sign, although the conservation techniques of that era wouldn't do the job if things really dry up.
The authors of the recent study were inclined to blame global warming for the latest drying trends. But even if you reject the global warming theory, don't bother arguing the point. This region has been capable of spectacular droughts, judging by evidence of climate trends going back thousands of years.
According to the state's Department of Water Resources, one of the dry spells in the so-called Medieval Megadrought lasted more than two centuries prior to the year 1112. Turning down your lawn sprinklers is not going to get you through one of those.
Still, there's room for optimism.
Or we could just change our thinking about water. We don't actually drink enough of it to matter. What we really do is waste it on toilets, showers, plantings and industrial uses that could do just as well with recycled, lesser quality stuff. As long as there's enough water to irrigate food crops and wet our palates, we ought to be able to figure out a way to get by.
Meantime, though, it wouldn't be a bad idea to turn down the sprinklers or even replant your yard with something hardier. #
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_5604436
Editorial: Conserve water during repair - and for long haul
Local water customers have responded quite well to such calls in the past, and we're confident they will do so in this instance.
We'd like to see them not only cut back significantly for the nine days, but also use the occasion to make some reductions in their long-term water consumption. Signs of drought are gathering.
Here's the immediate problem: The Rialto Feeder pipeline, which provides water imported from
It varies widely from city to city, but overall about 30 percent of the water used in the nine affected cities is imported.
Customers in
Residents who have helped to accommodate pipeline repairs in the past few years know the drill. It's especially important to cut outdoor water use to almost nothing as of April 16: Don't water lawns and landscapes, don't fill swimming pools and spas, don't hand wash cars, don't hose down driveways or sidewalks. And don't put in your spring plantings until the shutdown is over.
Indoors, cut back by running only full loads in clothes washers and dishwashers, taking shorter showers, and not running the water while you hand-wash dishes, brush your teeth or shave.
And obviously, it would be best to water your lawn, fill your spa and wash your clothes and your car on April 15, so you can start out the conservation period in good shape.
When a
But there are water challenges that go far beyond this repair job.
This has so far been the driest rain year on record for parts of
Southern California does not have a water delivery problem this year, but if next year is as dry as this one both locally and in the
That's why it makes sense to make small changes now that will save you water over the long haul.
When you put in your spring plants - after April 24, of course - why not use native plants such as ceonothus and toyon? Once they're established, you almost never have to water them; after all, they have lived on our foothill and mountain slopes for millennia, so they're suited for dry conditions. Take a look at the possibilities at the
And wherever possible, install drip irrigation instead of sprinklers to avoid water loss from evaporation.
A few little changes in your yard will save you water - and lots of money - and help boost the local water supply for years to come. #
http://www.dailybulletin.com/opinions/ci_5596777
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