Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Today, tons of particulate matter spew into the air from automobile and diesel emis-
sions, reducing air quality and hiding the sun in urban areas, especially around LA. The
ocean is overfished, open-space land is disappearing beneath asphalt and landfills, and
tankers occasionally leak oil into the sea. California is now the most-populous US state -
with over 70% of residents living in coastal counties - which puts a tremendous strain on
its finite natural resources.
So, is this paradise lost? Not yet. California's conservationists and environmental activ-
ists, biodynamic farmers and vineyard owners, high-tech innovators in the renewable en-
ergy and alternative fuel industries, and progressive-minded legislators, civic leaders and
voters are all taking steps together to ensure a greener future for the Golden State.
Water, Water, Where?
Water, or the lack thereof, has long been at the heart of California's epic environmental
struggles and catastrophes. Despite campaigning by the state's greatest environmental
champion, John Muir, the Tuolumne River was dammed in the 1920s, flooding the Hetch
Hetchy Valley inside Yosemite National Park, so that the burgeoning population of San
Francisco could have drinking water. Likewise, the diversion of water to Los Angeles
from the Eastern Sierra via aqueducts starting in 1913 has contributed to the destruction of
Owens Lake and its fertile wetlands, and the degradation of Mono Lake.
Statewide the damming of rivers and capture of water for houses and farms has drained
marshlands and destroyed countless salmon runs, including on Native Californian tribal
lands along the North Coast. Dams along the Colorado River send millions of acre-feet of
water per year to San Diego and much of the rest of Southern California via hundreds of
miles of aqueducts, even as they wreak havoc on the local ecosystem and decimate native
fish populations.
Regardless of where the water comes from, there never seems to be enough to satisfy
the demand of thirsty Californians. Unusually warm temperatures caused by climate
change and persistent droughts are critically affecting the state's winter snowpack. If it
doesn't snow heavily enough in the Sierra Nevada in winter, there won't be enough snow
left in spring to melt and fill the reservoirs that supply coastal cities. Homeowners are
slowly learning to conserve water; for example, with outdoor xeriscaping and dry gardens
that don't require irrigation. And you can too: look for low-flow showerheads and low-
flush toilets in hotel rooms.
