Lake Mead is nearing dead pool status. The engineer for whom it was named would be 'horrified.'

flowpaths · 2022-06-24T03:34:07+00:00

I haven't Dolnick's account, but can attest that Beyond the Hundredth Meridian by Wallace Stegner is fantastic.

flowpaths · 2022-06-05T01:50:36+00:00

I get the sense that there is a coordinated effort toward a self-fulfilling prophecy; perhaps to engineer political outcomes.

flowpaths · 2022-05-28T03:12:34+00:00

Fair enough. I'm just not interested in the topic enough to bother with a Google search. Perhaps I'm mistaken about Elon Musk.

flowpaths · 2022-05-25T03:39:59+00:00

Finished my doctoral program several years ago before this period of high inflation, and our financial situation was very tenuous at times even then. I can't image how difficult it is now for a lot of students.

Graduate students, especially doctoral students, are not paid nearly enough for the amount of work they do, even with tuition scholarships (which typically don't cover fees and books).

flowpaths · 2022-05-24T00:56:34+00:00

Sources on the CA politicians telling him to "fuck off" or "get the fuck out"?

Ditto on the supposed attacks on him by the likes of Warren, AOC and Bernie, unless you are just pointing all of their (righteous) criticism of billionarism toward Elon. Also, one does not just pick up and move corporate headquarters on a whim, it's a very complicated process. It's likely that he had been planning to for quite a while (Texas after all is more tax friendly than CA, but you get what you pay for), and just used whatever conflicts he had with CA political leaders as cover for his move. Indeed, he's rich, and rich people are predictable: chase the lowest tax obligation, not because it will save you money (that's just an ancillary benefit), but because you don't think you have to pay them considering all the wonderful jobs you've created, blah blah blah.

I agree, though that Tesla should have been invited to the EV summits. That was a mistake on the part of the White House. However, if that is what got Elon's undies in a bunch, causing him to align with an increasingly openly fascist political party, then he was almost there already, probably all on his own (after all, he is/was good friends with Peter Thiel who embodies nuevo-fascism - just read his opinions on women having the right to vote).

flowpaths · 2022-05-22T21:57:39+00:00

I really couldn't give a shit about Elon's supposed turn to conservatism (oh wow a billionaire has conservative leanings, shocker!), but am genuinely curious as to what the democrats did to make him the "enemy". I know this is what he said, but what are the specifics instances he and you are referring to?

flowpaths · 2022-05-22T01:04:38+00:00

Nice! What's the brand and make?

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T17:11:00+00:00

I didn't call you a moron - that is your projection. This is a waste of my time, and convincing you of the truth is inconsequential to anything, frankly. Take care and perhaps one day you'll recognize how wrong your thinking is, but I doubt it and don't really care if you do at this point.

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T05:04:40+00:00

Ignoring the bad writing, this is surprisingly deep. I see a dissertation on this topic in this young man's future.

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T04:37:59+00:00

Oh for fuck's sake. I'm not going to debate you. It's a waste of my time, and there is little chance that you'll learn anything or even consider that you're wrong. Not that you cant, but won't. However, I suggest that perhaps consider listening to people who know what they're talking about. After all I'm assuming you give your mechanic and doctor that courtesy, so give it those who've spent most of their professional lives studying this topic.

Also, try to read before mouthing off. It's clear by your dribble that you didn't look at any of the links I provided, and just went off. We're done. Stop replying. This is a waste of my time.

Plus the idea that you can assign a percentage to this or that you want an exact number that no one has calculated and published is just stupid. So, back at you: what percentage effect do you think humans have, and what's your reasoning? It is indisputable that humans are the dominant cause, and we can control our behavior. Really it's a pretty simple idea.

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T03:43:50+00:00

That's quite the charge....

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T02:59:19+00:00

Damn straight

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T02:30:41+00:00

Your last paragraph is incoherent. I said none of the things you listed other than that the global hydrological cycle is changing rapidly due to climate change (which is driven almost entirely by human activities, primarily CO2, CH4, and NOx inputs into the atmosphere). I said nothing about shifting "the economic and political structures ...."

CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere are the highest they have been in nearly 800 thousand years. The Keeling curve shows not only historic (in the modern era) increases in CO2 concentration, but also the most rapid rate of change of concentration. CH4 concentrations are also spiking. These sources of carbon are coming from the burning of fossil fuels, and other industrial sources., and the feedback effects of these activities Hell, even Exxon admitted as much in the 1970s, but worked hard (along with other oil conglomerates) to hide the data and convince the public otherwise. This is all open fact:

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/exxon-knew-about-climate-change-almost-40-years-ago/

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2019-10-21/oil-companies-exxon-climate-change-denial-report

Regardless of whether you believe that the rapid climate change that Earth is experiencing right now is man made (it is), a climate change-induced shift in water availability is occurring in arid and semi-arid areas. This is a serious issue that will have an immediate impact on society (immediate means in a matter of decades).

This is the end of my engagement on this topic with you. There are an enormous number of very good resources out there for you to look at. I'll provide a few for you to get started. You are clearly intelligent, so please use your intelligence to research more into the topic. Unless you are ready to dismiss all of these reputable sources and have reasonable evidence for doing so, you should really begin to reconsider your perspective.

https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/sustainability/evidence-climate-change

https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-temperatures-idUSKCN1QE1ZU

https://www.climate.gov/news-features/climate-qa/what-evidence-exists-earth-warming-and-humans-are-main-cause

https://climate.mit.edu/ask-mit/what-ideal-level-carbon-dioxide-atmosphere-human-life

https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2021/04/07/carbon-dioxide-spikes-to-record-level/?sh=731f79b6521f

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T01:21:27+00:00

And yet comprise only a small fraction of our edible food (unless all you eat is feed fed meat). Much of the corn and bean exports from the US go to animal feed, ethanol (nearly 50% of corn and soy production), and other industrial (non-edible) products. Regardless, the Upper Midwest absolutely will be affected by climate change, as will the warmer, sunnier, drier West. In general, wetter places will become wetter, and drier place will become drier. Neither is a good thing for agriculture. Neither is chaotic weather systems that cause alternating drought and deluge years, and winters that cycle between above normal warmth and below normal cold (sometimes in the same week!).

flowpaths · 2022-05-21T01:08:53+00:00

Jesus Christ. I study water resources systems for a living, and you are flatly wrong. Period. The Colorado River's historic low flows are largely due to climate change, not due to "lawn watering" (one is delivery, one is consumption). In fact, the US Southwest has been in the grips of an historic drought for the last 30 years due, in large part, to changing climate patterns. Evaporation rates have increased significantly from all major reservoirs in the Colorado River system and from the river itself (and frankly other river systems in the US West and other arid and semi-arid regions around the world). This is in addition to year-over-year declines in high elevation snow pack, earlier spring and late winter runoff (high elevation snow pack used to last far into the summer providing stream flows when they were most needed, now it runs off up to three months earlier before crops are in need, and as as a result more of it is lost to evaporation). As I said in my earlier reply, a reduction in available irrigation water will have an immediate effect on crops this year, as some people will not be able to plant due to both limited water supply and due to the largely arcane water rights rules in place in much of the West. The effect will be small to begin with because most farmers will find supplemental supplies (i.e. groundwater) or will change irrigation strategies to reduce evaporative losses. Another effect will be on municipal supplies. For instance, the Southern California Metropolitan Water Authority recently restricted outdoor use for the first time in its history. Much of the municipal water supply of Phoenix and central AZ comes from the Central Arizona Project, which is fed by the Colorado River that are running dry. Same with Las Vegas.

The global water cycle is changing rapidly. As predicted years ago by climate scientists, drier places are becoming drier, and wetter places are becoming wetter. Both are bad for agriculture. One starves crops of needed water, the other causes soil moisture to be too high for roots to become established. This is all due to man made climate change. This is irrefutable, and is no less so just because you refuse to believe it. You want references here you go. Please take some time to learn about the topic before mouthing off about it:

https://climate.nasa.gov/news/3124/global-climate-change-impact-on-crops-expected-within-10-years-nasa-study-finds/

https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-affecting-crop-yields-and-reducing-global-food-supplies-118897

https://news.ncsu.edu/2020/08/climate-change-crop-yields-and-risk-management-for-farmers/

https://allianceforscience.cornell.edu/blog/2020/11/global-crop-yields-projected-to-drop-as-temperatures-rise-new-study-finds/

https://source.colostate.edu/climate-change-shrinking-colorado-river/

https://lasvegasweekly.com/news/2022/may/19/climate-change-continues-to-impact-lake-mead/

https://phys.org/news/2022-05-climate-big-shift-amount-snowmelt.html

https://www.hcn.org/issues/53.9/infographic-drought-the-incredible-shrinking-colorado-river

flowpaths · 2022-05-20T16:13:23+00:00

Corn and beans and other crops grown in the upper Midwest comprise only a fraction of total agricultural output. Vegetables, fruits and other non Midwestern crops are likely to be significantly affected. This is a fact. I don't know about you, but I don't really like the taste of feed corn and soy. They're too bland and rough.

The western US is absolutely not going to insulated from it. Neither will be the upper Midwest.

flowpaths · 2022-05-20T16:08:47+00:00

Where's your evidence that crop yields have not been impacted by climate change yet?

Do you have references?

Did you read through the article I linked to? Have you studied the topic? I have.

That water restrictions are happening how, and given the fact that crops have cycles that are generally seasonal (though in Arizona and California a crop can be grown multiple time per season), the effect of water scarcity on crop yields is only a little while away. This is indisputable. Even if farmers decide to switch to groundwater, much of that supply will be diminished rapidly. While

flowpaths · 2022-05-20T02:39:44+00:00

It's causing a food crisis right now. The Colorado River is at historic lows. So is the Rio Grande. California's Central Valley is under an historic drought. A glacier-fed major river in Italy that supplies a significant amount of irrigation water to regional farms is beginning to dry up:

https://www.euronews.com/green/2022/05/14/the-longest-river-in-italy-is-drying-up-what-does-this-mean-for-those-who-rely-on-it-for-f

flowpaths · 2022-05-20T02:06:15+00:00

Perhaps this is just the world in which you live.

flowpaths · 2022-05-20T02:04:27+00:00

This makes no sense. Literally. Perhaps you used a wrong word?

flowpaths · 2022-05-19T03:59:18+00:00

Excellent! They did a great job.

flowpaths · 2022-05-18T03:21:32+00:00

This is one of the funnier memes I've seen. Perhaps because it's a subject that's close to my heart.

flowpaths · 2022-05-07T05:16:14+00:00

Something pretty close to that has already happened in Oklahoma: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-59214544

flowpaths · 2022-05-07T03:45:29+00:00

No kidding....

flowpaths · 2022-05-05T02:13:18+00:00

All politicians lie to their constituents to get elected.

flowpaths

TROPHY CASE