As long as there is lettuce in the produce aisle and pork chops in the meat section, I can imagine dismissing/ignoring the threat of drought as "the other guy's problem ... I don't really understand all that science stuff."
Nor, if the truth be told, would anything be likely to improve just because anyone did understand it: If there is not enough water, there is not enough water ... period. White-whining and knicker-twisting and astute analyses can hardly improve the facts.
Still, the matter is spooky enough and has enough of an economic impact so that the government is ... uhhh... taking action to plan for intensified periods of drought and their fallout.
The "new normal" -- drip, drip, dripping towards starvation and battles for sustenance and social decline...and all because there is not enough rain and the smart money is out there buying up 'water rights.'
"We were very aggressive in responding to the drought but all of it was after the fact," Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an interview with The Associated Press. "We made money available for technical assistance after the fact. We provided disaster loan assistance and extended grazing aid after the fact. We purchased surplus product after the fact."
With droughts likely to become more frequent and widespread as the climate warms, "we have to adjust to this new normal and we have to understand what it means to be proactive instead of just reacting," he said.
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