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Author Topic: Phoenix may not survive climate change  (Read 4947 times)

Vergent

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ritter

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Re: Phoenix may not survive climate change
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2013, 10:49:22 PM »

It's important to note that, while this article focuses on Phoenix, there are many other large desert cities in the US. Las Vegas, Los Angeles and San Diego are all partially or totally dependent on water from the Colorado. LA and San Diego shouldn't look to Northern California to continue to provide their water either. We just had a record breakingly dry Jan-Feb. LA and San Diego are dependent on snow pack in the Sierra that works (with California's dammed river system) as a reservoir that provides water into and through the summer. Snow pack is at 66% of normal this year.

The greater LA area (not including San Diego which is several more million) is around 17.8 million residents as of the 2010 census. Food production aside, when the weather we've built these mega cities on quits performing to expectation, what the hell do we do with all those people?

Shared Humanity

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Re: Phoenix may not survive climate change
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2013, 11:42:33 PM »
Phoenix will not survive climate change. The question is not whether Phoenix fails as an American city, it is when. My guess is the city will fail completely by 2040.

JackTaylor

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Re: Phoenix may not survive climate change
« Reply #3 on: March 18, 2013, 04:22:58 PM »
Vergent - ritter - Shared Humanity:

The items you discuss may be the "wake-up" events to cause more action.

While I truly believe Arctic Sea Ice is the Canary in the Coal Mine
and increasing heat may cause the population of Phoenix to decrease
the other areas noted by ritter are just to valuable to for me too
really comprehend.

With San Diego and Los Angeles being located near the ocean increasing
heat may not be as severe as for places inland such as Phoenix.
Sea Level Rise may be more devastating to them - providing FRESH WATER
for drinking and agriculture can be supplied.

San Diego is in the process of starting to build Desalination Plants(s) for sea water
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/50032981/ns/us_news-environment/#.UUcmLBdzA7o
and already using desalination of ground-water http://www.sdcwa.org/groundwater

There is opposition
http://www.sdcoastkeeper.org/learn/san-diegos-water-supply/desalination.html

Due to the high cost of energy for desalination hopefully it will be
a force to utilize photovoltaic or other solar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_power_in_California
for more drinking water and eventually some agriculture use.

Will the people remaining in Phoenix be willing to pay USD$10.00 for
a head of lettuce or $20.00 for a pound (0.5 kilo ) of tomatoes?

dorlomin

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Re: Phoenix may not survive climate change
« Reply #4 on: March 25, 2013, 11:50:23 AM »
Cambridge in England may have troubles. It recieves a suprisingly small amount of rain and an increase in temperature (evaporation) will lead to much drier ground without an increase in rainfall to compensate.

Even without climate change, places like Phoenix and Las Vegas may be unsustainable in water terms anyway.
Take it for granted you are wrong.
Just try to work out what about and why.

Amaranthus

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Re: Phoenix may not survive climate change
« Reply #5 on: March 25, 2013, 01:05:07 PM »
There's another potential problem with the Colorado river system.  How does cold war era nuclear waste sitting (and leaking through corroding containers) upstream of millions of water drinkers and crop growers sound?

http://forcechange.com/60348/demand-that-radioactive-waste-be-stored-properly/