The city of Sao Paulo is home to 20 million Brazilians, making it the 12th largest mega-city on a planet dominated by shortsighted humans. Shockingly, it has only 60 days of water supply remaining. The city "has about two months of guaranteed water supply remaining as it taps into the second of three emergency reserves," reports Reuters.
Technical reserves have already been released, and as the city enters the heavy water use holiday season, its 20 million residents are riding on a fast-track collision course with severe water rationing and devastating disruptions.
But this isn't a story about Sao Paulo; it's a report that dares to point out that human societies are incredibly shortsighted and nearly incapable of sustainably populating planet Earth. In numerous regions around the world -- including California, India, Oklahoma, Brazil, China and many more -- human populations are rapidly out-growing the capacity of their local water systems. Even though keeping populations alive requires food... and growing food requires water... almost no nation or government in the world seems to be able to limit water consumption of local populations to levels which are sustainable in the long term.
Instead, the endless greed of the "grow-consume-profit" business model that dominates the global economy leaves no room for any hint of balance with nature. The overriding philosophy of modern business is to dominate nature with chemicals, mining and monoculture to maximize profit while kicking any really large problems down the road for the next generation to deal with.
The result is a world where nobody thinks about the long-term implications of today's trends because everybody's too busy trying to extract a buck or two out of the very system that will destroy their future.
Sounds like where I live. The Round Rock / Austin metropolis is in a severe drought. Yet more businesses are moving in.
Water can be scarce in desert regions. Without electricity, Las Vegas would become uninhabitable in 48 hours. Hard to live 'green' in arid climates, but people do it anyway.
Indeed, and the Earth's resistance to such things is getting stronger.
It seems to be a popular idea that the Earth is "defending" itself against humanity and causing storms, diseases, and the like to fight back against us, but actually nothing could be further from the truth. The Earth has nothing but good intentions towards us despite how we treat it, it is humanity that is humanity's undoing. Natural disasters and all unpleasant conditions on this planet are a result of the mindset and collective negative vibrations of mankind. It is a dark world because we make it so.
It seems to be a popular idea that the Earth is "defending" itself against humanity and causing storms, diseases, and the like to fight back against us, but actually nothing could be further from the truth. The Earth has nothing but good intentions towards us despite how we treat it, it is humanity that is humanity's undoing. Natural disasters and all unpleasant conditions on this planet are a result of the mindset and collective negative vibrations of mankind. It is a dark world because we make it so.
I totally agree. What appears to be nature or gods reeking vengeance on mankind, is merely mankind weakening himself.
The planet is quite young, which is why we have the volcanoes, tornadoes, earthquakes, etc.
Remember that tv commercial here in the states "You can't fool mother nature..." than a loud bolt of lightening...? Forget the product name, but I think of that often when I hear of water droughts, people watering their lawns, etc.
The disregard and arrogance and selfishness is just crazy. It's a "free society" right? Or you're labeled a left wing nut job if you are a conservationist or care about the environment. I'm sick of it all.
I remember a drought when I lived in California. We had to ration or pay a fine. The wealthy, in Marin county, watered their lawns and paid the fines. They could afford it.
I remember a drought when I lived in California. We had to ration or pay a fine. The wealthy, in Marin county, watered their lawns and paid the fines. They could afford it.
And somehow, water continued to flow from everyone's tap, didn't it?
The Cantareira water system, largest of the six reservoirs that provide water to 20 million people living in the metropolitan area of Sao Paulo, Brazil is at 5.6% (as of January 20) of its capacity of one trillion liters (264 billion gallons), as reported by the water utility Sabesp. During the first two weeks of January 2015 rainfall totaled 7.1 centimeters (2.9 inches), well below the average 27.1 centimeters (10.7 inches). This comes as a result of the worst drought Brazil has faced in 84 years.
Let's make sure to revisit this thread in February.
Water can be scarce in desert regions. Without electricity, Las Vegas would become uninhabitable in 48 hours. Hard to live 'green' in arid climates, but people do it anyway.
Well, here we are in March, and no mass exodus from Sao Paulo.
Now they are saying:
Quote:
Simple calculations indicate that given the current level of consumption versus the predicted raining patterns there is only enough water on the system to last four to six months.
Sao Paulo Brazil with 60 days of water
Linear Mode
