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Monday, April 8th, 2024

Earth’s water future veers into sci-fi territory, researchers say

Author:     Rizwan Choudhury
Source:     Microsoft Start
Publication Date:     6 April 2024
 Link: Earth’s water future veers into sci-fi territory, researchers say
Stephan:  

I have been telling you for over 20 years that water is destiny. I did one of my recent podcasts on this. Now, as this article describes a group of water studying scientists have put together a book on the future scenarios they see. It is even bleaker than my own research had suggested. Governments, throughout the world, including the United States, are simply not taking what is happening with water seriously enough. Basically, they can’t get past short-term greed. The price for this stupidity and short-sightedness, as these scientists describe, is going to be horrific.

An artist-generated image illustrating possible futures in policy and research due to human modifications of the atmospheric water cycle. Credit: Patrick Keys and Fabio Comin / Interesting Engineering

The line between science and fiction blurs when it comes to the Earth’s water cycle. Humanity’s relentless intervention is transforming this delicate balance, leaving scenes of arid landscapes and failing crops a preview of a far more dire future. Land development disrupts rainfall patterns. Desperation fuels experimentation with cloud seeding, bending the weather to human will. The stuff of dystopian novels is fast becoming our inconvenient reality.

To grasp the magnitude of these changes, a team led by Colorado State University’s Assistant Professor Patrick Keys has embarked on a daring experiment. They’ve enlisted water scientists from around the globe to use the power of storytelling to create chilling visions of our potential futures. This unique effort is a desperate bid to understand the far-reaching consequences of our actions.

Science fiction as a tool for understanding

Their work, published in Global Sustainability, is a striking fusion […]

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