THE CALIFORNIA WATER SCARCITY PROBLEM
Recently, I picked up on wine tasting. One of my favorite wines so far was made in California. The warm sunshine of the Golden State and of course the refined winemaking methods result in delicious flavors that make me dream of sunny beaches and romantic moonlit nights.
I think it is fair to say that when we think of California, we do not immediately think of rain. Of course there is some, as otherwise those exquisite grapes would have no chance of getting as good as they do. Generally speaking, though, California has a fairly dry Mediterranean climate with severe droughts naturally occurring every so often.
Source: http://media.salesaspects.com/salesaspects/shared/GlobalImageLibrary/SunsetVillage/FullScreen/sv-california-vineyards-sunset-1-1760-580.jpg
CLIMATE CHANGE AS AN AMPLIFYING FORCE
The drought that California experiences since 2011 is however very exceptional. It is believed to be the most severe drought in 1,200 years and it has had, and still has, a devastating impact on agriculture and water resources. The very strong El Niño of this year is increasing the likelihood of a wet winter, but even this is probably not going to end the severe drought, which is what many Californians hope for.
Global warming caused by human emissions has most likely intensified the drought in California by 15 to 20 percent. In addition, the odds of California suffering droughts at the far end of the scale, like the current one, have roughly doubled over the past century.
WATER MANAGEMENT
Interestingly, however, natural climate variability and climate change are not the only reasons for California’s current water scarcity. The negative effects of droughts in California are exacerbated by the State’s heavy water consumption. It produces much of America’s fruits and vegetables, like walnuts, strawberries, lemons, peaches and many more water-guzzling fruits and vegetables. For example: the production of one (1!) single almond, the number one export product of the state, already costs 1.3 gallons (5 liters) of water!
Source: http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/droughtFI.jpg
MEASURES TAKEN SLOWLY
The use of different irrigation techniques could already help to cut down agricultural water use by 15 or 20%. Applying less water to luxuries such as lush lawns could cut urban use by 10%, or more if grass were replaced with other kinds of landscaping. And exploring ways to trap more precipitation could increase the state’s supply. Only since April and May 2015, however, California has put in place mandatory reductions in water use.
In addition, needless to say perhaps, reducing greenhouse gas emissions would help reduce the risk of severe droughts that we see today. Greenhouse gas emission reduction would furthermore not only address the water scarcity issue, but also the massive wildfires and intense heat waves that kill thousands of people in California.
Yet, local and regional governments struggle to take action. Fair enough, reducing greenhouse gas emissions in California would not lead to direct improvement of the water scarcity problem there, although it would address even more than just the water scarcity problem in a sustainable manner. Addressing the water demand part of the problem however results in direct improvement. So why did it take three years to adopt major cutbacks in water use in California? And are these restricting measures the beginning of a new way to look at water use, or just a way to survive until this drought is over?
Although I know the simple answer why it takes so long to take measures (money, of course), the situation still fascinates me. Addressing the issue would in the long run save money, and ignoring it eventually costs more. Still, we generally are not inclined to invest in sustainable measures. Are we afraid to be outcompeted by our neighbors if we invest and they do not? Do we simply not have the money for any investments? Or do we not believe, or want to believe, that the current situation is as bad as it is, and is even getting worse?
I invite you to think about these questions while you enjoy a glass of Californian red wine. I will enjoy one now, thank you all for reading.