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Big Farms and Flawless Fries Are Gulping Water in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
September 3rd, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on how Minnesota farmers cranked up their wells in a drought, blowing through state limits to grow thirsty crops such as corn, soybeans and perfect, fry-friendly potatoes: THE DROUGHT THAT GRIPPED MINNESOTA in the summer of 2021 was one of the worst on record. Day after day a […]
Read more »Five U.S. Cities One Natural Disaster Away From A Catastrophic Water Crisis
September 2nd, 2023
Via CNN, a look at five (5) U.S. cities that could be one natural disaster away from a catastrophic water crisis: When torrential rainfall in August 2022 pushed the Pearl River in Mississippi to surge well beyond its banks, floodwaters spilled into the suburbs of Jackson and led an already-hobbled water treatment plant to fail. It […]
Read more »America Is Using Up Its Groundwater Like There’s No Tomorrow
August 29th, 2023
Courtesy of The New York Times, a report on how groundwater overuse is draining and damaging aquifers nationwide: A wealth of underground water helped create America, its vast cities and bountiful farmland. Now, Americans are squandering that inheritance. The Times analyzed water levels reported at tens of thousands of sites, revealing a crisis that threatens […]
Read more »Water Scarcity Is No Longer Just a Crisis; It’s a Permanent Critical Condition
August 25th, 2023
Via The National Digest, a discussion on water scarcity: One of the most significant impacts of global warming is the reduction of water availability around the world. According to the United Nations, 26% of the world’s population does not have access to safe drinking water and 46% lack access to basic sanitation. Only 0.5% of the […]
Read more »Extreme Drought is Forcing Farmers to Reconsider Irrigation—at a Steep Cost
August 24th, 2023
Via Fast Company, an article on how – until now – many farmers have been able to avoid expensive irrigation infrastructure, but climate change is making that much more difficult: The Texas ranch where Gilda Jackson trains and sells horses has been plagued by grasshoppers this year, a problem that worsens when the hatch quickens […]
Read more »A French-Fry Boomtown Emerges As A Climate Winner — As Long As It Has Water
August 22nd, 2023
Courtesy of The Washington Post, a look at how climate change has helped a small town become the world capital of french-fry production, but a dwindling water supply could reverse its progress entirely: From miles away, you can smell Othello, an 8,700-person hamlet on the high plains of central Washington. To locals, it smells like […]
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