“R.I.P. California (1850-2016): What We’ll Lose And Learn From The World’s First Major Water Collapse”

“So what will happen when California turns into a dust bowl? Will the beauty and rich fabric of California’s cultural historyevaporate as well? SF Weekly put together a list of the top 51 reasons why California is America’s greatest state, and you can read them HERE. BuzzFeed also points out the 32 reasons why California is the most beautiful place in the world and you can read them at BuzzFeed.com as well. And what about the amazing culture of spirituality, peace, tolerance, ingenuity, and love that permeates the Golden State — would we lose that too?

From another perspective, the North American food supply will also suffer a devastating blow because the state’s agricultural production zone is smack dab in the middle of the drought’s most severely hit area. And not only will California’s farming industry come to a screeching halt — the little water that is left will be so filled with toxins and pollutants that it will be undrinkable for local residents. Mother Jones put together an eye-opening set of infographics which paint a disturbing picture, and you can study them below.”

http://www.feelguide.com/2015/03/22/r-i-p-california-1850-2016-what-well-lose-and-learn-from-the-worlds-first-major-water-collapse/

<3 <3 my beloved home state. I have this total impulse to blame someone or some group, and I am totally understanding how people react to disasters with blame. I just re-read what I was writing and deleted it, and instead I am excited for some solutions?

Let’s talk about getting rid of lawns and about identifying the industries that should probably shift to other locations, and responsible ways to address damaging population booms. Let’s talk about resiliency - more than the shiny, expensive LEED-gold buildings that have been the noticeable response recently.

(credit to AA – who also put together these helpful, extremely dire historical examples:

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

Climate change is thought to have led to the emigration of Chacoans and the eventual abandonment of the canyon, beginning with a fifty-year drought commencing in 1130.

http://www.livescience.com/18624-collapse-mayan-civilization-climate-change.html

The collapse of the ancient Mayan civilization may have been linked to relatively modest dry spells, researchers now say.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/13.7/2014/08/19/341573332/lessons-from-the-last-time-civilization-collapsed

The evidence that a prolonged shift in climate was a factor in bringing down the Mediterranean Bronze Age comes from a number of studies, including one published in 2013, showing that cooling sea surface temperatures led to lower rainfall over inland farming areas.)