For now.
According to the New York Times, our easy access to water may soon be a luxury.
Thirty-six states face water shortages in just three short years. California knows all about water shortages. We've been getting some of our water from other states for decades. Farmers in the Central Valley, where much of the nation's food is grown, are going out of business, unable to get water to their crops.
California is not the only U.S. state with water supply issues. By 2013, at least 36 states expect shortages, according to a 2003 study by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.Take a look at the world map on the water crisis page of the World Water Council. See all that red and brown on the United States? That means we're using water faster than the earth can replenish. Much faster. In fact, only a small portion of the United States is safe from running out of water.
Erica Gies in Turning to Water Conservation to Save Energy
New York Times
#WaterWednesday
That's why I participate in #WaterWednesday on Twitter. Every Wednesday, mindful Tweeps (people who tweet on Twitter) from all walks of life take time to learn a little more about the world water crisis and pass along what we learn.
We give each other tips on conserving water at home and work, participate in calls to action, write our senators and congressional representatives, blog about water rights and needs, and lend a helping hand any way we can. We try to have fun while we're focusing on water issues, and we're prepared for the heartbreaking stories (slide show) that bring the reality of the world's dwindling fresh water supply home. This brief video does a little of both.
New oil, blue gold and water wars
We don't hear about water wars every day, but they're happening--here at home between states, between cities and agriculture, bloodier ones abroad.
Some say water is the new oil. Global climate change is drying up the glaciers that feed our rivers and streams. Desertification caused by deforestation and agriculture exacerbates nature-caused droughts on every continent. Scarcity breeds greed. Greed breeds ever smaller circles of ownership and control over water resources. You know about the oil cartels. There is talk of water cartels.
Water is so valuable, as Wall Street tightens its grip on the world's shrinking water supply, that some are dubbing it blue gold. So important is water that, little known to you and me, Congress holds hearings on it frequently. You can bet that big corporations, with their multi-million dollar lobbyists, are making sure they get the deepest wells, the tallest fountains, and the biggest pipes.
Get a glimpse of what I'm talking about here.
If we are to build the world of Ordinary, we must take notice of the world of water now.
Do you love your shower?
Do you love your shower in the morning? You and I may be dead by the time the tap stops flowing in our country, but chances are good we'll see water rationing, including the taps in our homes, in the next decade. It's time to get involved. The question is, how?
I'd like to hear from you. Have you studied this issue? Are you concerned about your water rights now? Down the road? Who do you think should own water? Where do you think we, ordinary citizens, should start in terms of informing ourselves and taking action?
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We make peace in a million small ways every day.
All text and images, unless otherwise noted, copyright L. Kathryn Grace. All rights reserved.
