efaardvark

I know this isn't the forum for this type of thing but for us out here in the southwestern US the region's water situation is getting critical.  That's me so I'm thinking about this a lot.  Full disclosure, I'm in a suburb of Los Angeles here in So. California.  If you're also in the region, or know someone who is, get informed.  Basically, several of  the region's critical civil engineering systems related to water use and distribution are either having or going to have multi-mode failures over the next decade or so.  At this point even a radical change in the weather severe enough to solve the water supply problem would itself create major issues of its own.  We need to get ahead of the problems and come up with a plan to deal with all of them that can be implemented in the time available.

I'm actually glad to see this video.  The cover/thumbnail image might be a bit click-baity but I think they kept the listed title and the content itself reasonable.  Right now things are still status-quo in most people's minds.  Showers work.  There's water to drink.  You flip the switch and the power still flows to light the lamp or brew the coffee.  For anyone not paying attention nothing would seem to be wrong.  The scariest scenario for me however would be if nobody paid attention until the faucets run dry, then everyone panics without knowing the situation or having a plan.  The people who made this video seem to be normal folks throwing up a flag saying, "hey, something serious is happening here". 

I especially like that they're making the food connection.  Las Vegas golf courses are not really the problem here, though the mindset that says that's a good idea in the middle of the desert (and the politics that allows it) might be part of the reason we got to this point.  Farming is by far the biggest issue.  California farms supply a large fraction of the country's food.  Of the world's in fact.  Those farms also use about 80% of the water in the region.  If you can't grow food because there's no water or can't transport it to the customers because fuel is too expensive then that's a serious problem all by itself, even for people outside of California, Nevada, etc..  The water is also used to generate electricity, and energy is a major input to and driver of any economy.  Expensive energy and low revenues from exports is an economic disaster in the making for the region.  And of course water is also used for drinking and sanitation.  The amount of water used for this last is (relatively) tiny but obviously extremely critical.  I doubt we'll ever run out of drinking water, but it might get extremely expensive, and/or take a while to build out an alternative supply system.  Did I mention you'll be dealing with high energy prices, power problems, and an economy already staggering from the costs of a pandemic, bankster abuse, and political mismanagement while trying to implement your solution?