Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
taking a “no regrets” approach
Most water experts urge policymakers in the West to begin taking action
immediately to prepare for both ends of the climate spectrum facing the
region: drier conditions and decreased water availability interspersed with
longer storm seasons leading to larger and more frequent l oods. Although
it is not yet clear to what degree the drought conditions in the West over
the past decade have been the result of natural or of human causes, climate
experts are recommending that society begin to prepare early for the coming
changes.
Jonathan Overpeck and Bradley Udall at the University of Arizona
advise scientists and policymakers who are currently discussing strategies
for adapting to climate change that they need to include the possibility that
the West could enter into another megadrought like the ones discussed in
earlier chapters of this topic. h eir “no regrets” approach includes adapting
to overall reductions in water and preparing to live in a landscape that may be
transformed by the other impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise,
greater l ooding, more frequent wildi res, and ecosystem shit s.
h is “no regrets” approach is wise and conservative. However, it is dif-
i cult to convince a society about the need to prepare for risks when the most
recent large l oods have become a distant memory. Flood memory half-life,
suppressing individual and public memories of recent l ooding, has been
demonstrated by l ood insurance coverage behavior. For instance, the rates
for l ood coverage increased immediately at er the 1997 l oods but have been
declining since then.
Similarly, it can be a tough sell to convince people to adopt a “no regrets”
approach to water conservation when water still l ows abundantly and
cheaply through our taps. Water is uniquely vulnerable to overuse. It falls
freely from the sky, giving a false sense of abundance. Water policy in the
West has made it a resource that is easy to seize and exploit by those with the
power and will to do so. As yet there is little incentive to conserve water for
the common good, despite scores of ingenious water conservation proposals.
Society in the West lacks any sense of urgency concerning the growing scar-
city of this life-sustaining resource. People in this region are oddly estranged
from their natural surroundings—living in human-created oases of concrete,
manicured lawns, and air-conditioned homes. Few are aware of the origins
of the water l owing out of their taps, which is perhaps due, in part, to the
complexity of the region's modern, highly engineered hydrology.
