I know negotiations among states that draw from the Colorado River are ongoing with water rationing measures being discussed, but it feels like the threat of water shortage doesn’t align with booming growth in this part of the country. Is the threat overstated? Are there solutions available when things get really dire? Or is it just hubris of prioritizing short term profits instead of long term sustainability? All the above?
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Is argue the threat is somewhat overstated. City’s will not be abandoned for lack of water. There is plenty to drink.
Their however is not enough to plousably continue agriculture in the Southwest as it is now. It uses about 70% of water from the Colorado River.
Before you jump to ‘we’ll all starve’ remember a large large chunk of that is for alphalpha which is massively water intense and it’s not human food. It’s cow food. And moving calories grown in a field to feed a cow to then eat it is literally about an order of magnitude less efficient then directly eating plant based food.
We likely will have to have a reconning and rewriting of water treaties, but if we can cut back on animal products, especially beef, no one needs to go hungry. That said no human should be going hungry with the food production we already have, but they do due to social inequalities. That will probably get worse, with Americans and rich countries not changing their ways
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