Engaging, This American Life-esque
The "Whatcha Gonna Do When The Well Runs Dry?" title in these days of the "drill, drill, drill," mantra is deceiving.
One expected a commentary on the fact that our oil reserves are finite and that --- drill where we will --- the oil powered engine will soon be a thing of the past.
Fifty or perhaps 60 years ago I recall seeing an ancient, tattered Weekly Reader that said we were running out of water. But many of us in many sections of the country are still getting along nicely because, unlike oil, water falls on us from the sky on a regular basis.
The world does have a problem which creates water shortages and hunger and pollution, so called "development" and the destruction of the economic base in small communities by big box stores. It is, of course, overpopulation.
Isaac Asimov said, "We can't continue multiplying at this rate for very long, no matter what we do."
So. Bottom line. The water crisis. The pollution crisis. The feed-the-hungry-children crisis. The whatever crisis. All of these are only secondary manifestations of overpopulation which is the world's only real crisis.
When we stop breeding like rabbits the water in the wells will sustain us.
Robert Skoglund
St. George, ME
September 14, 2008
On this edition, well take a look at 3 growing communities facing water shortages along with the pressure to grow, and hear their different approaches to finding solutions, including denial.
