Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
gained a broader perspective on the natural climate l uctuations in the region
over the past millennia. h e long-term history of natural climate patterns
described in the pages of this topic reveals that extreme l ood and drought
events struck the West at regular intervals. In addition to the recurrence of
these extreme events, a future warmer climate brought on by human activi-
ties will bring drier conditions, interspersed with l oods, to the region. h e
time for the West to prepare for this drier and more extreme future climate is
now, rather than waiting until we are in the midst of a crisis and attempting
to respond.
Fortunately, many strategies and options are available to the region. A
more sustainable water future in the West would include linking urban
growth with water supply and availability. Reconciling human and environ-
mental uses of water, integrating management of water supplies, water qual-
ity, and l ood protection, and managing water more l exibly and responsibly
lie at the core of a more sustainable future. Continued research ef orts toward
forecasting major l ood-producing storms as well as wet and dry periods
associated with El Niño and La Niña events and other ocean-atmosphere
oscillations (such as the PDO) will help with prediction of these extreme
events and implementation of warning systems in l ood-prone regions such
as California's Central Valley and Sacramento delta.
Society as a whole needs to be educated about water's vital importance, its
scarcity, and what we can do to help. An important i rst step would include
increasing awareness about both the direct and the indirect water usage in
our daily lives—our water footprint. All current residents in the American
We s t w o u l d a l s o b e n e i t from rel ecting on the native cultures that came
before us, that lived more in tune with their environment and understood
by necessity the delicate balance between consumption and conservation.
Today, our society would do well to learn about this balance if we want to
survive and thrive in the future. We should be neither at the mercy of the
natural world nor at odds with it. Today, we can choose to reimagine our
place in the delicate web of life in the West—by using sophisticated engineer-
ing and technology to devise ingenious solutions and by seeing beyond our
desire to consume to a future where the needs of a healthy environment are
also met. We may i nd that we have all we need to preserve our quality of
life as well as to protect and preserve the natural environment around us for
generations to come.
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