California drought caused by misguided environment policies

[zenkai]

Wonder what people think of this? I know environmentalist want to protect the environment but how far will they want to go?

• California’s water storage and transportation system designed by federal and state governments includes 1,200 miles of canals and nearly 50 reservoirs that provide water to about 22 million people and irrigate about four million acres of land throughout the state.
• In May 2007, a Federal District Court Judge ruled that increased amounts of water had to be re-allocated towards protecting the Delta smelt – a three-inch fish on the Endangered Species List.
• Because of this ruling, in 2009 and 2010 more than 300 billion gallons (or 1 million acre-feet) of water were diverted away from farmers in the Central Valley and into the San Francisco Bay – eventually going out into the Pacific Ocean.
• This man-made drought cost thousands of farm workers their jobs, inflicted up to 40 percent unemployment in certain communities, and fallowed hundreds of thousands of acres of fertile farmland.
• Unemployment remains at a regional average of 17%. With current precipitation at near-record lows, the same regulations will be imposed pushing unemployment even higher.
• The Pelosi-led Congress did nothing to reverse the plight of the San Joaquin Valley and even obstructed repeated Republican actions to reverse the situation. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act reflects Republican promises to avoid another man-made drought.

Source - http://naturalresources.house.gov/is.../?IssueID=5921

[Machismo]

The drought is caused by a lack of heavy winter precipitation in the mountains. California has always had dry summers, but they still had water from the snow pack. Unfortunately, since the winters have lacked precipitation, there is no water coming in from the mountains. None of that would be a real issue if it weren't for California's exploding population, along with it's ever-increasing use of water for agriculture. The best way to stop the impacts of the drought, is to get people to migrate out of the state, and to stop farmers from trying to irrigate deserts.

[Bakis]

California drought caused by misguided environment policies - or.... Drought caused by doing poorly researched decades lasting decisions to make a rather unsuitable climate with a shortage of water into one of the most major angricultura and water consuming areas in the entire US.
Lets leave global warming outside of it for the moment, CA were never meant to sustain the growth of the angricultural sector on that scale and growing in the long perspective.

Edit: at least not with the crops in use, I mean almonds. Really?

[Wildtree]

Wonder what people think of this? I know environmentalist want to protect the environment but how far will they want to go?






Source - http://naturalresources.house.gov/is.../?IssueID=5921

Where's the water waste used in fracking?

[Maltah]

Wonder what people think of this? I know environmentalist want to protect the environment but how far will they want to go?

Fairly certain it was the diverting of the Delta water for human use that caused the smelt to become endangered in the first place. Consider it righting a wrong?


California still has some of the richest soils in the world for agriculture, and the climates are perfect for most of the agriculture that is grown here. You can make arguments about the use of water for crops such as almonds, and for cattle farming (one of the largest global producer of almonds, and a larger producer of dairy than even Wisc. so good luck shifting that production elsewhere), but to call it a desert is misguided, misleading, and grossly ignorant. Some parts of California have deserts, but the central valley isn't one of them.

[Bakis]

California still has some of the richest soils in the world for agriculture, and the climates are perfect for most of the agriculture that is grown here. You can make arguments about the use of water for crops such as almonds, and for cattle farming (one of the largest global producer of almonds, and a larger producer of dairy than even Wisc. so good luck shifting that production elsewhere), but to call it a desert is misguided, misleading, and grossly ignorant. Some parts of California have deserts, but the central valley isn't one of them.

Indeed but it is rich soils based on the previous consumption of water simply cos it were not a problem.

[Cerus]

Protecting wildlife that was endangered by humans in the first place isn't misguided.

The droughts are due to massive consumption of water by crops being grown in areas where they were never meant to be grown. 90%+ of water usage goes to farmland not residential homes. The centuries old water rights bullshit doesn't help either.

[Kujako]

Consumption does not cause a drought. Consumption will exasperate the situation however, but it does not stop rain from falling.

And just remember as the rest of the country eats the fruit, veg' and nuts from CA. You are part of the problem.

[Bakis]

And just remember as the rest of the country eats the fruit, veg' and nuts from CA. You are part of the problem.

That is something many forgets, certain crops have up to 60% higher output than the same crop in other places in the US and not many crops at all are better grown than in CA.
People are shortsighted and egoistic, not to mention they most often think with their wallet. Maybe time to teach them the hard way that if they want to continue to enjoy the prices of today they need to contribute to dealing with the lack of water situation in what ways that is possible.

[Pterodactylus]

Let's be clear here, the drought is caused by lack of precipitation.

[Fibh]

I never understood people being so obsessed with protecting endangered species. Sure, if it's something special, but this fish? It's not special or useful in any way... just a small, bland, useless fish that naturally only lives for a year. What a loss.

[Xeones]

This thread kind of pisses me off. Op wants to blame environmentalists for protecting an endangered species? If we didn't fuck it it wouldn't have been endangered in the first place. But we did and now that we do the right thing you want to say it's wrong?

The problem is no rain, the worst drought the state has faced in the nations history I do believe.

[ati87]

I never understood people being so obsessed with protecting endangered species. Sure, if it's something special, but this fish? It's not special or useful in any way... just a small, bland, useless fish that naturally only lives for a year. What a loss.

Maybe destroying the environment doesn't just effect a single animal?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passenger_pigeon

[Kujako]

The problem is no rain, the worst drought the state has faced in the nations history I do believe.

More specifically a high pressure center that's been sitting in the ocean pushing precipitation up north, bypassing CA.

[AdamC]

This is what happens when you elect braindead mentally retarded liberals into office. Seriously I laugh at your pathetic looser state. CALIFORNIA is dead. Your state is going to shit if you keep electing these retarded clowns. You had a bill for desalination but NOPE, fuck that shit, we don't need it now you retards are in a drought. Have fun.

[Daelak]

I never understood people being so obsessed with protecting endangered species. Sure, if it's something special, but this fish? It's not special or useful in any way... just a small, bland, useless fish that naturally only lives for a year. What a loss.

Yes, I mean they definitely are not part of some critical eco-system that produces biodiversity and life. We should just eliminate all species that we deem boring, or dull, or "useful".

Ignorance, like shown above, is why conservative ideology exists.

[Kujako]

This is what happens when you elect braindead mentally retarded liberals into office. Seriously I laugh at your pathetic looser state. CALIFORNIA is dead. Your state is going to shit if you keep electing these retarded clowns. You had a bill for desalination but NOPE, fuck that shit, we don't need it now you retards are in a drought. Have fun.

See, the funny thing is CA will be fine. Worse case we stop producing 80% of the nations winter fruit and vegetables. Guess who that effects? Hint, it's not CA.

[Daelak]

This is what happens when you elect braindead mentally retarded liberals into office. Seriously I laugh at your pathetic looser state. CALIFORNIA is dead. Your state is going to shit if you keep electing these retarded clowns. You had a bill for desalination but NOPE, fuck that shit, we don't need it now you retards are in a drought. Have fun.

Another ignorant troll politicizing something that has nothing to do with liberal policies.

Infracted

[Rassium]

This is what happens when you elect braindead mentally retarded liberals into office. Seriously I laugh at your pathetic looser state. CALIFORNIA is dead. Your state is going to shit if you keep electing these retarded clowns. You had a bill for desalination but NOPE, fuck that shit, we don't need it now you retards are in a drought. Have fun.

California is not looser than any other state.

[Xeones]

California is not looser than any other state.

Was waiting for someone to do it.