4 ms·
There's massive population in the desert now, but that's not where the water is going. The vast majority of water is used by agriculture, which has also expande
by mjhay 3y ago
There's massive population in the desert now, but that's not where the water is going. The vast majority of water is used by agriculture, which has also expanded massively in the same time frame. It's a red herring that natives and early settlers farmed in the same areas - the water they used is nothing compared to modern agriculture.
Efficient water usage (e.g. drip irrigation) and not growing comically unsuitable crops like alfalfa would solve this problem, even in the face of climate change.
- ticviking 3y agoThe point is that there was enough water in the desert until people decided building massive retirement communities in the desert was a good idea.
- mjhay 3y agoThat's simply not true. The retirement communities simply aren't why the water shortage is happening. It's agriculture, not residential use. The water usage numbers are well known. You're just assuming that population growth must have caused the water shortage, while ignoring the much greater increases in agricultural usage over the same timeframe.
- peteradio 3y agoThe reason for the complaining is the population not the farmers. Why do you think they built the retirement communities in the desert? That's right! The land was gobsmackingly cheap! Why? Because the land was reeeeeeally shitty because the water sources were so poor! Would you be so defensive of the residents if this was Florida coast?
- mjhay 3y agoThis is really quite simple: farmers use the vast majority of the water. Residential use is small in comparison. We're talking about water. Land use is only indirectly related. It's illogical on its face to say that the main problem is residential use when farming uses vastly more.