Los Angeles is running out of water, and time. Are leaders willing to act?
It’s no secret that climate change is making its way to and beyond our shores, and while it’s great that our government is talking about it, there’s a very real chance that the next few years could be our last chance for humanity to address the threat.
Los Angeles is already beginning to feel the effects. The average rain gauge in the city is now about one-third full, and while there are many reasons for this, there is one very important reason that I believe is being overlooked: the lack of water availability. In LA’s case, our water supply is being threatened by the construction of a new water tunnel (see above), a desalination plant, and an infrastructure replacement project. All in all, it’s estimated that we would need to make up to 12,000 gallons of water per day if we were to increase our water supply by 10%.
But what would happen in LA if we don’t make the decision to “do something”? The short answer is, it would quickly become a “no-man’s-land”, as the water in the aquifers was being pumped deeper and deeper, but now it’s not. And the longer term effects of this, such as the increased possibility of drought in the future, will be the most dangerous.
To illustrate the importance of water in our lives and to highlight the urgency of addressing it, I recently interviewed a friend and fellow environmentalist, David Gaut in the midst of his fight to save water. Please listen to what he has to say (with due credit to him of course, there are many other wonderful environmentalists out there). I hope that you will listen to his interview as well.
This is the first interview that I have done solely focused on water. I want to talk about water, and specifically, about water scarcity and how to
