Climate Change: Water problems

While I know I just posted about my dad and our disagreement on climate change, that's what I'd like to focus on for the actual post I was assigned.

Climate change has a major role in Paolo Bacigalupi's The Water Knife. Droughts and high temperatures result in fights over water rights, dry cities, and high tensions between states.

Water is essential for life. And fighting for water is something that no one wants to do, but it's something that could easily come up if climate change is not corrected (which at this point would be difficult).

Already there are laws in place regarding water rights. Arizona put a law in place in 1919 that requires people to obtain permits to gather surface water--which includes well water. Until just a few years ago, people in Colorado weren't allowed to collect rain water. While that changed in 2016, there is still a 110-gallon storage limit per household.


While water is technically considered a renewable resource, because it can be used over and over again thanks to the water cycle, there are limits to water, especially with high temperatures encompassing the planet overall. It's hard to use water that evaporates consistently, and you can get evaporation in your 60-degree living room, when your glass of water very slowly empties without you actually drinking it.

Climate change is such a huge problem, and a bigger problem is that there are those that don't believe in it. Unfortunately, it seems to be impossible to change someone's mind on it.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 10, 2018 at 12:01 PM

    I think it's important people realize water is renewable but not limited, and with our current consumption levels it won't last long. As for people who don't believe in climate change, they probably won't until things get worse and worse. You can only hope enough people will start to believe to make a difference before its too late.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Allen WebbOctober 13, 2018 at 12:29 PM

    It seems kind of crazy that you can't collect rainwater that falls on your house! But that is an important sign about the crisis, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Refugee

Image
Our latest book in class was Refugee  by Alan Gratz. With its three separate narrators, in three different times and places, I thought it had a unique setup, and I loved how they tied together. Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud each had their own difficulties, even though they were in similar situations, and with the same goal: to escape. Mahmoud's story takes place in 2015, a mere three years ago. And now, people are still trying to escape their situations. All over the news right now is the Honduran caravan. They started as 160, and their numbers have only grown in the last few weeks, with the United Nations estimating 7,000 . Their path has not been easy, crossing rivers and mountains. Google estimates their current progress as over 8 solid days of walking, and doesn't include breaks for sleep or eating. Personally, I think the fact that they have covered that much distance in 16 days is admirable; I know I wouldn't be able to keep pace with them. Google also told me
Read more

Exit West

Image
Exit West  by Mohsin Hamid was an interesting read. The story covers the journey of Saeed and Nadia as they flee their home country (never named) and travel to Greece, England, and finally California. Along the way, they meet unnamed characters that are helpful, such as a girl in Greece who helps them get to England. They travel by way of magic doors that instantly take them from one place to another. While the concept isn't entirely new (Chronicles of Narnia, anyone?) Hamid includes something that is very modern and relevant: refugees. While Nadia and Saeed didn't have the easiest time--especially shortly after arriving in London--they weren't tear-gassed like migrants on the US-Mexico border. It took time for Nadia and Saeed (along with their fellow door migrants) to get help from the natives, instead of being attacked. And that is exactly what needs to happen with the Honduran caravan. We need to help them. They're seeking asylum , which is a human right .
Read more