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Agriculture effects on world
Water shortages in California
California water problems open essay
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Temperatures are at an all time high, the air is moist and sticky, the sky is clear blue and the sun shines bright yellow, burning the skin of Californians in the midst of the worst drought in history. Over the past couple years; California’s water supply has been cut short due to human activity and climate change. The droughts effects are tragic, for there is little rainfall, dried up lakes and farms, endangered fish and a decrease of agriculture growth. The government and many organizations have proposed several laws and regulations to help ensure better water conservation, however the results are not matching up to what is expected. Statistics show more efforts being done but the water supply is still declining more than ever. Many citizens are unaware of how severe the issue is and continue to waste …show more content…
In a politics piece, Drought threatens wildlife, ecosystems, Michael Gardner indicates, “there are potential risks to water quality, fears of increased air pollution in the already dusty Central Valley, and a possible buildup of salinity in rivers that could be detrimental to fish and humans.” Water animals are clearly being threatened by low-leveled rivers and streams, and need to be rescued. It is a good thing that there are certain organizations working to protect endangered fish such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The NOAA is currently focusing on building long-term monitoring plans to help save animals suffering from California’s drought with such practices as distributing populations in different areas so they are not targeted as a single group, and operating water system ways to increase cold water and flow rates better suited for juvenile fish (NOAA Fisheries). Hopefully with the help of programs like these there is still a bright future ahead for sea creatures and their
The California water drought has been declared a crisis by the governor of California. 2013 was the driest year on record, and California could be running out of water. Californians should be water wise, and their use, or no use, of water will have an enormous impact on this drought. They can use the techniques published in a recent Time article called, 5 Ways to Bust California’s Drought, to reduce their water use. Landscape techniques, alternate water sources, and the personal conservation of water can reduce the use of water, and can have a positive change on this water crisis.
On the heart (center) of California is a flat area with miles and miles of farms and up to 230 different crops. The central valley agriculture is essential to the United States; it not only delivers almost half of the produce but also helps the economy by also giving more job opportunities (California Department of food and agriculture, 2014). Many families depend on the central valley agriculture to survive economically in the United States. It is a well-known fact that rain and snows in the Sierra Nevada Mountains are a very important element in the central valley. No rain in the central valley can cause many devastating issues to occur quickly. Recently in the year of 2013 California received less rainfall than years before. The small amount of water the central valley is receiving is harming not only to the land but humans and animals as well. It’s destroying the habitats of animals with forest fires caused from the dry spells occurring. The central valley is going through a drought, so much that around this time of year the central valley usually accumulates enough rain for the necessities in the valley, agriculture for example. This year, however, has been different, the central valley hasn’t received enough water and this has caused a drought in the valley. Water is an important element in this world for not only human life, but for the environment in general, a shortage of water supply can bring issues to the environment and those living in it. The central valley holds the largest percent of class one soil, not only that, the valley grows a third of all the produce being grown in the United States, that’s more than 230 crops that are being grown in the central valley. However, this drought isn’t only affecting the resident...
As we all know, California is in the midst of a severe drought. This drought has caused Northern and Southern California to reconsider their claims on water sources and there are only a few major water sources like the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta left. Fortunately in April 2015, The California Water Fix, also known as Bay Delta Conservation, was proposed by Governor Jerry Brown. But what is the California Water Fix project and why should it be built?
Would you rather have a long warm bath, or eat fresh and delicious fruits and vegetables. Water has become a limited resource in California due to the current drought. Many people want regulations to be made, so that farmers will not take their water, but little do they know that farmers grow the food that they eat. The state should not regulate a law to limit the use of water because it changes the price of fruits and vegetables, and it affects jobs.
“Don’t waste that water! Kids in Africa don’t even have water to drink!” Almost every American has heard this saying before. We have heard this because there are water shortages in third world countries like Africa, as seen in the movie “Blue Gold”. But why have we developed this notion that there are only water shortages in third world countries? When in reality, there is a shortage of water right here in our home country. The Colorado River’s water is high in demand as it serves millions of people, powers industries, and is home to all different kinds of wildlife. The Colorado River will not be able to keep up with the increasing demand of water and soon enough the river will go dry. Organizations like the Colorado River Water Users Association are trying to change the way that the water is used and adjust how it is managed. The Colorado River is drying up and the western states are running out of water, however, public policy is trying to regulate and preserve the Colorado River to make it more sustainable in the future.
California is going through a water crisis. Some of the main problems that led to the water crisis
Terrell (2015) states that the three inch delta smelt was decided to be in danger of going extinct a little more than twenty years ago. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has claimed that systems used by farmers to retrieve water from the delta have added to the dropping number of delta smelt. Conservationists think it is necessary for people and farmers to take their water from sources other than the delta in order to preserve the characteristics of the delta (Terrell, 2015). Dr. Peter Moyle of UC Davis stated in an interview,“We have 80 fish species in California, like the delta smelt, that are in trouble” (Cited in Terrell, 2015, p.12). Moyle insists that it is more than just the three inch delta smelt that is in danger, it is at least seventy-nine other species that need protecting as well. As interviewed by Siegler (2015), senior water rights farmer, Rudy Mussi knows the importance of the delta and preserving it, not just so he can use its water on his fields, but also to keep it alive for the future. It has been suggested that water be taken out of the delta and moved to farmers in the lower portion of California who have junior water rights (Siegler, 2015). The delta cannot be overused because it is important that the ratio of saltwater to freshwater stays the same in order to preserve the fish population. In 2014 the excess water that came from the delta, the environment in which the fish live, added up to almost two hundred fifty billion gallons of water or enough for over six and a half million people each year (“Water wars”, 2015) While these people cannot easily access this water source, some farmers are able to use limited amounts of water if they farm on the delta, creating an issue between the junior water rights farmers
The drought in California is in its fifth year of one of the state’s worst droughts in the past century (USA Today 2014). This drought has led to many drastic environmental issues, such as wildfires, plant and animal’s survival, and other problems (Climate Education 2013). The shortage of California’s water supply has effected many nature reserves. Which disturbs their ways of living. By this drought going on California people see lands are being dried out, crops drying out, animals not having enough water to survive during this drought season (National Drought Mitigation Center 2016). The impact the drought has on California is a large one. But while the drought is still going on in California. Foundations and organizations find the time to help those animals and other species in California and other states that show support and build better environments for
The drought in California as it stands doesn’t seem likely for it to be going away anytime soon and with the chance that it could last so long that it could turn into a what is categorized as a mega drought the citizens of California are going to need to start taking steps to help lighten the blow of the drought. There are many ways to help prevent the drought from having as devastating of an impact on the state of California. Some of the really simple things the people of California can do to help preserve the water supply are to
California is currently in one of the most severe droughts the state has experienced thus far in California’s history. A drought is defined to be a “period of dry weather, especially a long period that is injurious to crops; an extended shortage” (Dictionary. Web). California is a state that is not well known for the amount of rain the state receives in a given year; California is known as a state of nice weather year round and this idea of nice weather typically does not include rain, or wet weather to most people. The price Californians pay for nice weather year round and not enough rainfall comes at a hefty price, a price of having a severe drought and water shortage. California is one of the largest states in the United States of America
Climate change. The two letter word so feared by scientists, so ignored by the average human being. What is it that makes scientists fear this phrase so much? For the concept of “climate change” has been seen throughout the history of the earths existence. For centuries, our climate has fluctuated through increasing and decreasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide and climatic cycles. So what is the big deal? The problem, and the reason why this concept instills fear directly into the core of scientists is the rate at which over the past 1,300 years atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen. This unnatural increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, due to the immense amount of anthropogenic burning of oil and coal, affects the transfer
Review: So today, I brought to light just how serious this water drought is, what we as individuals can do to reduce the problem, and what many organizations are doing to promote awareness and find more efficient ways of using water.
You'll find it at home, work, and school. It's in coolers and vending machines and on store shelves. You may have it with you right now. Bottled water is everywhere. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reports, "Bottled water is the fastest growing drink choice in the United States." In some ways, this is good news. More people recognize the health benefits of drinking water. They are choosing water over sugary drinks like soda and juice. Unfortunately, bottled water has a dark side. It comes not only with a high environmental cost but also with a hefty price tag. Stop and think: Is the growing trend of drinking bottled water really worth it?
Our planet is suffering from severe pollution, which ranges from contaminated air, water and soil as well. Humans are doing nothing to reduce the amount of pollution that is harming our earth. To understand how pollution works first you must understand that there are different types of pollution. The most common types of pollution and the ones that I will be focusing on which are the ones doing the most harm to our planet are air pollution, water pollution, soil contamination and littering. In order to help out and reduce pollution in our planet people need to be more aware of what these problems are and about the severe damages that they are causing our planet. Before industrialization really jumped into place and had an effect on large cities, nature had its own way of cleaning up its own air and itself. Wind scattered gases, rain washed many substances and the rest dissolved into the ground; while plants absorbed carbon dioxide and made it into oxygen. With big cities growing more every time and with more towns that were becoming more industrialized a lot of more waste began to be released into the environment and the atmosphere and soon this was more than enough for nature to handle. In order to stop and reduce pollution people need to understand the damage that it is causing our environment and our planet as well. People need to be more aware of how they can help out and do their part in reducing these problems that are causing our planet to die slowly with people not even noticing it.
Even if the reason of climate change may be the natural cycles, we humans are the major determinant to it. The huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the climate change and this amount is rising day by day, as a result of our actions. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, generally absorb and emit the heat in the atmosphere to keep the Earth’s climate habitable. However, as we continue to burn fossil fuels, this habitable Earth’s temperature will blow up, and as a result, some species will die out due to various problems which are caused by climate change. According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the most obvious consequence of climate change is the rising sea levels, which will cause some seashore habitats to become unavailable to live to its species.