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September 7th, 2003 admin

Man I'm Thirsty! by D. Golden

It seems odd doesn't it? People go on about global warming and the rising temperatures and yet some areas seem colder than normal. That's weird! People go on about the melting icebergs and the rising oceans and then swear that we're in for severe water shortages. How does that work? Global warming should cause warmer weather right? And higher oceans and melted glaciers should mean more water for the masses right? Sorry folks, but it's just not that simple.

The Earth is a very large closed ecosystem. It is also dynamic, meaning it is constantly changing from one form into another. From the day that it formed from bits and pieces of rock and iron it has always been on the move, never predictable from one era to the next. When the dinosaurs walked this planet there weren't any ice caps and it was a very, very hot place. The climates changed due to the effects of the animals that lived here, from natural disaster, or, more commonly, from natural processes, many of which we can barely comprehend. Over time our planet has steadily cooled to the balmy, but very comfortable blue ball on which we now reside.

In other words the world is in constant flux. Never the same from one day to the next. Natural processes cause the changes that we have adapted to from the time that we first appeared. Yet, there is a difference this time. Changes are coming so quick now that it is difficult to blame just natural process. There is little to any doubt in people's mind that we have accelerated this global climate change. Even those who continue to throw forth violent denials can not deny that trees in the temperate zone bloom in March now instead of May and grow right through into November. That simple proof should be all you need.

In the coming decades we will be facing down some of the worst calamities to ever have been thrown against our species and dire and deadly water shortages will be one of the main ones. With the glaciers melting the water has to go somewhere and the oceans are the obvious destination. Water covers two thirds of this place we call home, but people are dying or will begin to die of severe water shortages very soon. With so much water flowing into the system and inundating coastal lands we should have more than enough to quench everyone's thirst, right? Wrong. That water is salt water.

Most people with a third grade education know that drinking salt water will only kill you quicker.
So we can't drink the water from glaciers because it is now part of the ocean, but we still have our aqueducts and stuff, right? Sure you do, but with such a large population and growing those aqueducts are running dry. Some towns have already begun drilling them out to reach deeper ground water. You may not know this because the water just continues to run from you faucets. You won't even be aware of water shortages until they tell you to stop watering your lawns. With longer growing seasons the reliance on these water sources will be pushed to their limits. Sure longer growing season means more food, but put a heavy reliance on an unstable water table to make sure all the crops a watered. Drought in many places across the globe will only make this worse. Without the usual seasonal rains there will be nothing to replenish the aqueducts. Drought is just one affect of global warming. Flood is another.

Flooding can also create water situations. In this time of climate shift have you noticed that areas are either in drought in or in flood. Here in America the west coast has been experiencing drought so severe that wildfires have consumed millions of acres over the last decade. But on the other side of the continent there is flooding. Flooding compromises water supplies through damage and tainting. Hurricane Katrina flooded so much of New Orleans that there was no drinkable water left. The waste from industry and farming and of course sewage was thick on the top of the flood waters. So despite the fact that people were surrounded by a virtual sea they couldn't drink any of it.

Can you grasp the magnitude of this dilemma yet. Obviously the world will change. We can not stop it. What we have done can not be undone. The time to stop it has passed. The question is what do you do now? Do you continue as always and make our situation worse or will you make a change? Will you buy a hybrid vehicle? Will you recycle your waste? Will you turn off the lights? Will you conserve our water? It's simple to just turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth and cut five minute of shower time. Small changes lead to bigger ones and turning the water to the off position while scrub those pearly whites will give you the wonderful feeling of effort.