At Grist, Emily Pontecorvo writes—Wind and solar can save the planet — can they save our water supply, too?
Solar panels and wind turbines are lifelines to any non-apocalyptic version of the future. They’ll help us keep the lights on, the air breathable, and the planet inhabitable. But while the climate and health benefits of wind and solar are well known, they have another, under-appreciated feature that could come in handy in our inevitably warmer, drier future: They don’t rely on water.
A new study published in Nature Communications explores how this often overlooked benefit could help alleviate water scarcity and improve food security during a drought. The paper looks at California, where surface water — the kind found in rivers and lakes — is shared between hydropower facilities that produce electricity and farmers downstream who use it for irrigation. During a drought, there’s less surface water available, forcing farmers to turn to the groundwater found in aquifers to water their crops. After a recent five-year dry spell where groundwater was being pumped out faster than it could be replenished, California’s aquifers are now depleted.
“In the long term, if we do nothing, then we won’t have any groundwater in the aquifers,” said Xiaogang He, the study’s lead author and a postdoc at the Woods Institute for the Environment at Stanford. “It’s like a bank account. If you keep withdrawing your money, and put only a very small deposit, then in the long term you will have a deficit. It’s not sustainable.” [...]
TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES
QUOTATION
“They came with a Bible and their religion, stole our land, crushed our spirit, and tell us to be thankful to the ‘Lord’ for being saved.” Pontiac (aka Obwandiyag, an Odawa war chief)1714/20-1769
TWEET OF THE DAY
BLAST FROM THE PAST
At Daily Kos on this date in 2004—The Religious Right and The Coming Agenda:
Josh Marshall calls him Grand Inquisitor James Dobson. Yuval Rubinstein calls him 'the Ayatollah next door'. In either case, Michael Crowley at Slate has a profile that's worth a read:
Although the notion that the religious right's "moral values" determined the 2004 election has been roundly debunked (for example, here and here), perception is reality in politics--and the indelible perception in Washington is now that George W. Bush owes his evangelical Christian base big time.
One corollary to this idea is that no one helped Bush win more than Dr. James Dobson. Forget Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, who in their dotage have marginalized themselves with gaffes (this week Robertson referred to potential Supreme Court nominee Miguel Estrada as "Erik Estrada"). Forget Ralph Reed, now enriching himself as a lobbyist-operative, leaving the Christian Coalition a shell of its former self. Forget Gary Bauer, now known chiefly as a failed presidential candidate who tumbled off a stage while flipping pancakes. Dobson is now America's most influential evangelical leader, with a following reportedly greater than that of either Falwell or Robertson at his peak.
Dobson earned the title. He proselytized hard for Bush this last year, organizing huge stadium rallies and using his radio program to warn his 7 million American listeners that not to vote would be a sin. Dobson may have delivered Bush his victories in Ohio and Florida.
On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Impeachment hearings are underway, Roger Stone's on trial, and Trump's considering a staff massacre. So, nothing to see here. Meanwhile, Stephen Miller’s every bit the white nationalist Ilhan Omar said he was, and the rest of the staff has fake résumés.
RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!)