Too many People Part V

Fresh water scarcity may be the most underrated resource issue in the world today. Here in the Southwest, it is particularly critical. Population is growing and the supply of fresh water per person is declining. Little by little we are soaking up all the water we can find and all we are entitled to here on the eastern slope. We have developed arable land and swallowed up open space. In at least one state in the Southwest, Colorado, irrigated agriculture will face substantial cutbacks as population growth sucks up more of the available fresh water for residential and industrial use. Already streams run dry, water tables are falling and aquifers are being drained more rapidly than they can be replenished. ‘Climate change will have a devastating effect on the availability of water in the Western United States. Even as the best-case scenario, it forecasts a virtual train wreck, with supplies falling far short of the projected future demands for water by cites, farms and wildlife.’[1] Does anyone want to take this risk? Coloradans might want to think about what climate change will do to the ski industry which means so much to their economy.

Of 15 major oceanic fisheries, 11 are in decline. An annual take of 93 tons cannot be sustained. Fish farming will place demands on nutrients that are also needed for livestock and poultry production. Some species of fish will disappear entirely while others will decline in quality at the same time prices are escalating sharply. One tuna recently sold for $20,000 in Japan. Sushi has become as expensive as $50 per bite.

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[1] Andrew Bridges, AP Science Writer