Water Supplies

Linking the past with the present: resources, land use, and the collapse of civilizations

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The human role in extinction of species and degradation of ecosystems is well documented. Since European settlement in North America, and especially after the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, we have witnessed a substantial decline in biological diversity of native taxa and profound changes in assemblages of the remaining species…We have, to the maximum possible extent allowed by our intellect and never-ending desire, consumed the planet.

Norman Borlaug: Saint Or Sinner?

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The father of the “green revolution” in agriculture, Norman Borlaug, recently passed away due to cancer, at the age of 95. Borlaug didn’t approve of the “green revolution” moniker, dubbing it “a miserable term” (what he would have made of “The Agrichemical Revolutionary” isn’t clear) but his work has had a far-reaching impact on the course of human development.

Water and drought – Oct 1

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-World’s river deltas sinking due to human activity, says new study led by CU-Boulder
-Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ to grow dramatically due to federal biofuel mandate
-Dust Storm Blankets Sydney as Drought Bites
-Water worries threaten U.S. push for natural gas
-Alternative Energy Projects Stumble on a Need for Water
-Obama administration wades deeper into Delta mire

Scale

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Within the span of a couple generations, we abandoned a durable, finely textured, life-affirming set of living arrangements characterized by self-sufficient family farms intermixed with small towns that provided commerce, services, and culture. Worse yet, we traded that model for a coarse-scaled arrangement wholly dependent on ready access to cheap fossil fuels.