I would have thought that anyone looking at a globe would be realize that the earth was finite, as are its resources when they are used beyond the capacity for renewal. In the late 1970s, farm groups in Iowa and other Midwest states were extremely concerned, and quite vocal, about the Ogallala aquifer because it was down 1-2% and it would take an estimated 100 years to replenish it.
Imagine my shock when in the late 1980s, I was on a long bicycle trip through Nebraska and saw that farmers were now irrigating corn. In just 10 years, farmers had gone from alarm over depleting the aquifer to extracting even more water from it than ever, and unnecessarily so: my grandfather, who farmed in NE South Dakota, strategically planted corn because, among other things, it didn't need much water beyond the humidity in the air.
And now the aquifer's status is exponentially worse. The results of this unsustainable extraction is heart-breaking. Many farmers have lost their farms and livelihoods because they no longer had water, a heart-breaking result of failing to be good stewards of the earth. Unfortunately, the lack of sustainability is not limited to this aquifer, and the consequences to all life on this planet will be dire.
Such an artful piece of writing about a serious topic. Living in the California Central Valley has meant living with subsidence- sinking land. I see a lot of bad plant choices such as stressed or dying redwoods in a hot environment. They need coastal humidity. I wonder when we will begin reserving lawns for common spaces like parks. Your piece speaks to early water stewardship as the better choice. I wish I was more optimistic.
Thank you for this piece. Substitute the Odessa (or any other) aquifer or any surface water irrigation source and it is evident that the current system is unsustainable. I probably won't be alive to see the disaster this will cause, but it's something I worry about every day.
One of our neighbors "had" to drill a new well, and went so deep the water came up at 93 degrees.
Our continuing willingness to look away from the consequences of our American excessiveness is shocking.
My spouse considered attending his prestigious business school reunion and read program materials and school updates with interest. His takeaway: the focus now is less on business operations and more on investing to make money. “Investing” in these circles is not about stocks and bonds; it’s about buying assets and extracting value from them in appreciation and rent: land, water rights, mineral rights, housing, hospitals, bridges … The goal is to build wealth from natural resources and tangible assets others create or created.
Long term impacts? Some considerations and promises, not priorities. This predatory mentality (my words, not his) is not conducive to sustainability.
I would have thought that anyone looking at a globe would be realize that the earth was finite, as are its resources when they are used beyond the capacity for renewal. In the late 1970s, farm groups in Iowa and other Midwest states were extremely concerned, and quite vocal, about the Ogallala aquifer because it was down 1-2% and it would take an estimated 100 years to replenish it.
Imagine my shock when in the late 1980s, I was on a long bicycle trip through Nebraska and saw that farmers were now irrigating corn. In just 10 years, farmers had gone from alarm over depleting the aquifer to extracting even more water from it than ever, and unnecessarily so: my grandfather, who farmed in NE South Dakota, strategically planted corn because, among other things, it didn't need much water beyond the humidity in the air.
And now the aquifer's status is exponentially worse. The results of this unsustainable extraction is heart-breaking. Many farmers have lost their farms and livelihoods because they no longer had water, a heart-breaking result of failing to be good stewards of the earth. Unfortunately, the lack of sustainability is not limited to this aquifer, and the consequences to all life on this planet will be dire.
This is brilliant. Incredibly well written and researched. It deserves a much wider audience.
Yes! A very important piece.
As always, a concise explanation of what is happening to our world and why it’s important to pay attention to it.
See California's Central Valley...... "You can't have infinite growth in a finite system", is something that should be obvious.
Such an artful piece of writing about a serious topic. Living in the California Central Valley has meant living with subsidence- sinking land. I see a lot of bad plant choices such as stressed or dying redwoods in a hot environment. They need coastal humidity. I wonder when we will begin reserving lawns for common spaces like parks. Your piece speaks to early water stewardship as the better choice. I wish I was more optimistic.
Thank you for this piece. Substitute the Odessa (or any other) aquifer or any surface water irrigation source and it is evident that the current system is unsustainable. I probably won't be alive to see the disaster this will cause, but it's something I worry about every day.
One of our neighbors "had" to drill a new well, and went so deep the water came up at 93 degrees.
Our continuing willingness to look away from the consequences of our American excessiveness is shocking.
My spouse considered attending his prestigious business school reunion and read program materials and school updates with interest. His takeaway: the focus now is less on business operations and more on investing to make money. “Investing” in these circles is not about stocks and bonds; it’s about buying assets and extracting value from them in appreciation and rent: land, water rights, mineral rights, housing, hospitals, bridges … The goal is to build wealth from natural resources and tangible assets others create or created.
Long term impacts? Some considerations and promises, not priorities. This predatory mentality (my words, not his) is not conducive to sustainability.