
Originally Posted by
Katman
I've thought for some time now that one day wars will be fought over water.
That has been thought to be a possibility for years now.
Water is a finite resource. It may not have seemed that way but The Australian use of water for commercial purposes has caused major problems there.
So too in California, the demand for almond milk is using unrealistic amounts of water. The big commercial almond orchards, as well as being very thirsty, are causing problems for bees too. They contract beekeepers to pollinate the trees but they won't stop using insecticides. Irrigation for dairying is also causing problems in California.
We are not immune, dairying in Canterbury, and local councils selling water to Chinese corporations for peanuts. Mind boggling.
Anybody who doubts that the climate is changing should hop on their bike and ride down to the glaciers. (The West Coast Highway is a great ride.) At the Fox glacier you ride in past lots of little signs: "In 1850 the glacier was here," "In 1960 the glacier was here." Etc etc. The glacier is but a small fraction of its former size, even compared to where it was 1960. Depressing.
In case you need something else to worry about, there is a shortage of sand for building too.
Some of the places from which sand is extracted are suffering ecological damage, the Mekong Delta f'rinstance. The sand in the big deserts is no use for building. The constantly shifting sands of the Sahara has rounded off the grains. Round sand is not suitable for making cement.
There is a grey blur, and a green blur. I try to stay on the grey one. - Joey Dunlop
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