Water In Texas

Water In Texas | Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy.

My Friend Andy Sansom, Director of the Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State, talks about water, public policy, and the future of Texas.

Mining, Desertification, and Camels – Cultural Changes in Mongolia

Old Ways Disappearing In The New Mongolia : NPR.

May 24, 2012

Mongolia, the land of Genghis Khan and nomadic herders, is in the midst of a remarkable transition. Rich in coal, gold and copper, this country of fewer than 3 million people in Central Asia is riding a mineral boom that is expected to more than double its GDP within a decade. The rapid changes simultaneously excite and unnerve many Mongolians, who hope mining can help pull many out of poverty, but worry it will ravage the environment and further erode the nation’s distinctive, nomadic identity.

This is part 4 of an NPR series on the dramatic changes coming to Mongolia.

Of course, the minerals are not used by Mongolians, but are mostly sold to China.  Is it worth losing a centuries-old culture for money?  Will the cash actually benefit the Mongolian people?  What role does desertification play in the choices that Mongolians make?

Running on Empty

via Draft Water Plan Says Texas “Will Not Have Enough” — Water Supply | The Texas Tribune.

“The primary message of the 2012 state water plan is a simple one,” the introduction states. “In serious drought conditions, Texas does not and will not have enough water to meet the needs of its people, and its businesses, and its agricultural enterprises.”

As population rises, demand will increase, although the increases are predicted to be slower than growth.  The lower predictions result from a decrease in demand from agriculture – we won’t be growing as many crops.

“In Texas, temperatures are likely to rise; however, future precipitation trends are difficult to project. If temperatures rise and precipitation decreases, as projected by climate models, Texas would begin seeing droughts in the middle of the 21st century that are as bad or worse as those in the beginning or middle of the 20th century.”

How will Texas citizens’ cope with the declining water supply?  More reservoirs, transferring water from one basin to another, and auditing water loss from public utilities (broken lines, etc.).

Of course, conservation should be the number one topic that results from this study – doing more with less.  Do you really need a green yard full of St. Augustine grass?

 

Clean Water

h/t to Flowingdata