Good morning! Another busy week begins. We’re keeping it short and sweet today, with a focus on sustainability. Water management legislation in California is certain to spark debate. Some Iowa farmers are shifting the climate change narrative…could their work influence U.N. climate talks in Paris? George Monbiot on the population crisis (maybe not one you expected).
Tensions over groundwater management in the wake of #CAdrought. In California, water has largely been treated as a private resource. In response to concerns about sustainability – driven in part by the depletion of aquifers and water quality issues – legislation has been passed that imposes new regulations for groundwater extraction. New local agencies will be granted broad authority to restrict pumping…and to impose penalties. The move has already sparked debate; lawsuits are certain to follow. Ryan Sabalow for The Sacramento Bee. #goodread
Opinion: Iowa’s climate-change wisdom could inform Paris climate talks. Farmers can play a key role in the solutions to climate change. An incredibly interesting opinion piece about how some farmers in Iowa are changing the narrative to one of hope. Could some of the work being done there inform the upcoming United Nations climate change talks in Paris? Jeff Biggers – founder of the Climate Narrative Project at the University of Iowa – thinks so. He shares the story of Iowa farmer Grant Schultz, who has “transformed a once degraded industrial corn farm into a vibrant carbon capturing and storing ecosystem.” Interesting read; it appears in the New York Times.
The population crisis laying waste to the planet. George Monbiot discusses the environmental impacts of livestock production in this piece appearing in The Guardian. It’s certain to spark discussion. The letters in response to this piece are worth a read.
Have a great day.