What’s MG Reading

The Cali Drought, Part 1

With the driest year on record, and an ongoing dryspell that has everyone in the state baffled by the lack of rainfall –  all eyes are on the future of California’s water.  Whether you’re a small rancher worried about the health of your herd and your livelihood; a resident in urban Los Angeles or the Bay Area; or anybody who depends on the produce from the Central Valley (pretty much everyone in the country), California’s current drought is bound to have devastating impacts (and in some cases already is).

California Weather Blog tells us:

Not only was 2013 the driest calendar year on record in California, but in some places 2013 eclipsed previous record minimum precipitation values by around 50%… Reservoir levels in California have been falling rapidly since summer 2013, but these extremely low water levels are finally making headlines as some water districts are already facing difficult choices and the potential for severe water usage restrictions. …if California does not receive widespread and very substantial precipitation over the next two months, many communities (especially in the northern and central parts of the state) stand to face water shortages of a magnitude not seen in the modern era.

Of course, this is just one of the latest manifestations of massive climate disruption happening all around the world, adding another layer of impacts to ripple through human and nonhuman communities, threatening severe losses of biological diversity and livelihoods.

And yes, it’s not just about shorter showers. It’s about challenging a capitalist system that puts profits over people and the planet; stopping a system that’s driven by the exploitation of land, labor and life.  And at the same time, it’s about building the resiliency of our communities by growing local, living economies and reclaiming our labor.

Here at MG, we’ve been reading a few articles to stay informed about the state of the drought, and are asking some of our close friends about what the drought means and what we can expect in the next few years.

To start, we recommend Point Blue Conversation Science’s blog, and in particular their weekly round up of news from last week, which includes a jam-packed highlight of drought-related information  (you’ll have to scroll down the page a bit).  It includes some latest statistics, images, and links for more info.

Also, this article by Common Dreams explains how California’s drought will mean major consequences for the country’s food supply.

And stay tuned for CALI DROUGHT, PART 2:

We will be posting an exclusive interview with WATER Institute director, international permaculture designer & teacher, and our close friend Brock Dolman from the Occidental Arts & Ecology Center.  He breaks it down exclusively for MG about what’s up with the drought, and what’s to come.  We’ll be posting that later this week!