On Friday, February 28, 2014 1:00:27 PM UTC-8, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
Just a thought: With all that Pacific Ocean out there just
off-shore, why not scale up successful Israeli desalination
technology via a Manhattan Project-sized program.
HB
Cost in money and greenhouse gases would be the obvious answer, not that the
later seems to bother too many.
D
Uh, let's look at those factors:
Cost: If Nature (or global warming) continues to dry us up out here on the West Coast of the U.S. how else are we going to get water for nearly 40,000,000 in California alone, not counting other affected states like Arizona & New Mexico. Thirty years since James Hansen told Congress exactly what would happen and when, it is coming true as predicted. Even the most corrupt legislator will be forced to listen to their constituents rather than continuing their long, well-emunerated love affair with Big Oil, Big Coal, and other constituents of global warming.
Greenhouse gases: Not sure I see the relevance, but have a look at what's been happening in the Middle East. As always, Israel has been a forward-thinking leader. When you're a tiny blip on the map, surrounded by neighbors that have been trying to kill you long before you officially became a country, you HAVE to devote resources to survival. One of many Web sites devoted to Israeli irrigation, water usage, and desalination:
http://www.eenews.net/stories/1059994202
This research has long been shared with Big Brother, aka the U.S. but until recent years, the full effect of global warming has not been felt by the average US person, who is focussed more on the next electronic toy than on the price/supply of water.
HB