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A Stanford Economist Says We Should Think of Water Like Radio Waves
January 8th, 2024
Via Quartz, an article on a Stanford economist’s suggestions that it’s in our best interests to let farmers cash out like broadcast stations did in 2017: Water, water everywhere. And increasingly, not a drop a drink. As tensions over the future of water consumption hit their boiling point, a new working paper published through the […]
Read more »Colorado River States Are Racing to Agree on Cuts Before Inauguration Day
January 8th, 2024
Via The New York Times, a report that California, Arizona and others – fearing a political shake-up of negotiating teams after the November election – are aiming to wrap up work this year: The states that rely on the Colorado River, which is shrinking because of climate change and overuse, are rushing to agree on […]
Read more »Water’s Worth: In Nebraska, It Has Serious Value, But Who Owns It?
January 5th, 2024
Via Star Herald, an article on the value of water in America’s midwest: The land John Childears farms near North Platte is sandy, not particularly fertile, less than ideal. But the value of his land largely lies beneath his feet: the Ogallala Aquifer, one of the largest in the world. Childears recently harvested corn at […]
Read more »In the Drought-Stricken West, $25 Million Worth of Water Went Missing
January 5th, 2024
Via Popular Mechanics, a shocking story on how one man allegedly spent decades orchestrating a scheme to siphon water away from California’s prized canal system: The job was easier to pull off at odd hours. Early in the morning, before sunrise; or 7 in the evening, after everyone else had left work. There weren’t many prying […]
Read more »Central Asia’s Water Crisis Is Already Here
January 2nd, 2024
Via The Diplomat, an article on what it will it take for Central Asian states to sustainably adapt to climate change, particularly the regional water crisis that is already underway: Over the course of 2023, Central Asia grappled with escalating challenges stemming from climate change, including disruptive weather patterns affecting long-standing agricultural practices and the […]
Read more »Don’t Flee the American Southwest Just Yet
January 2nd, 2024
Via the New York Times, commentary on the U.S. southwest and water scarcity: This summer, when the temperature hit 110 degrees Fahrenheit or above in Phoenix for 31 straight days, many were fretting about the Southwest’s prospects in the age of climate change. A writer for The Atlantic asked, “When Will the Southwest Become Unlivable?” Bloomberg wondered, “How […]
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