Drought Taking Major Toll - One Year Water Left

[dominus]

California has about one year of water left. Will you ration now? (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html

. (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)...
In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.

Several steps need be taken right now. First, immediate mandatory water rationing should be authorized across all of the state's water sectors, from domestic and municipal through agricultural and industrial. The Metropolitan Water District of Southern California is already considering water rationing by the summer unless conditions improve. There is no need for the rest of the state to hesitate. The public is ready. A recent Field Poll showed that 94% of Californians surveyed believe that the drought is serious, and that one-third support mandatory rationing.

Second, the implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act of 2014 should be accelerated. The law requires the formation of numerous, regional groundwater sustainability agencies by 2017. Then each agency must adopt a plan by 2022 and “achieve sustainability” 20 years after that. At that pace, it will be nearly 30 years before we even know what is working. By then, there may be no groundwater left to sustain.

Third, the state needs a task force of thought leaders that starts, right now, brainstorming to lay the groundwork for long-term water management strategies. Although several state task forces have been formed in response to the drought, none is focused on solving the long-term needs of a drought-prone, perennially water-stressed California.
...
Continues here (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)

[podfish]

California has about one year of water left. Will you ration now? (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)the answer is pretty clearly no. It'll be interesting if this is the first of the many predicted and plausible end-of-status-quo (I know, some would say end-of-life-as-we-know-it) disasters.
other candidates: hackers take down massive amounts of infrastructure. Crops fail from global warming. Huge financial crash. Chemtrails really are deadly. Some disease (probably not measles) really does kill millions because of antibiotic ineffectiveness. Cities really do start going under water. ISIS or some such organization actually does detonate some nukes.

Except for chemtrails actually causing damage, I think none of these situations are particularly implausible in the somewhat near term. It's not like civilization hasn't had major upheavals in the past; the Mongol invasion, the Black Death, and European colonization of the New World come to mind. We've just gotten out of the habit of believing in major change. However, for quite a long time the inertia of societies and the ant-hill effect (there are a LOT of people trying to preserve the status quo - "leaders" only sort of matter) have limited things to an only mildly alarming pace of change.
But are we up to dealing with something like insufficient water for the California economy in a way that only inconveniences the poor and politically impotent?? News at 11!

[Richard Nichols]

Not only no paddle, but no boat to float. If the dems controlling state government don't get with it, we are in for major upheavals. Frankly, it should stop growth in its tracks everywhere in the state, but will it? Sorta doubt it.
Anyway, STOP DAIRYMAN.


California has about one year of water left. Will you ration now? (https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)

https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html
(https://www.latimes.com/opinion/op-ed/la-oe-famiglietti-drought-california-20150313-story.html)

[rossmen]

california has enough water for everything but agriculture, where the rationing is severe. global disaster will most likely come through crop failure, a starving anthill is unstable. as wheat, rice, corn and soybeans prices spike the world will splinter into nations with food, nations with something to trade for food, and starving nations. the us will be relatively stable though many global systems will break. the world has come close to this edge several times in the 21st century when major agricultural areas had unfavorable weather during the growing season. so far this has been limited to one or two areas every few years.


the answer is pretty clearly no. It'll be interesting if this is the first of the many predicted and plausible end-of-status-quo (I know, some would say end-of-life-as-we-know-it) disasters.
other candidates: hackers take down massive amounts of infrastructure. Crops fail from global warming. Huge financial crash. Chemtrails really are deadly. Some disease (probably not measles) really does kill millions because of antibiotic ineffectiveness. Cities really do start going under water. ISIS or some such organization actually does detonate some nukes.

Except for chemtrails actually causing damage, I think none of these situations are particularly implausible in the somewhat near term. It's not like civilization hasn't had major upheavals in the past; the Mongol invasion, the Black Death, and European colonization of the New World come to mind. We've just gotten out of the habit of believing in major change. However, for quite a long time the inertia of societies and the ant-hill effect (there are a LOT of people trying to preserve the status quo - "leaders" only sort of matter) have limited things to an only mildly alarming pace of change.
But are we up to dealing with something like insufficient water for the California economy in a way that only inconveniences the poor and politically impotent?? News at 11!