Water, The Newest Precious Commodity?

I’ve watched with interest these past few years the impact of global climate changes. Last year as drought and fires raged through Australia I felt an icy premonition tickle my spine. Could this happen in my own country I wondered as I gazed at pictures of fires raging and burned koala bears? I was right to worry. This year drought has devastated not only my country, The United States of America, but it has ravaged many other countries accross the globe as well. And many of these countries provide food for the rest of the world. It all comes down to water, or the lack thereof.

Here in the long untamed West of the U.S. we are familiar with conflicts over water. Water being a precious commodity, many a battle through out the years centered over who had control over it. In my peaceful little valley my farm is blessed to be watered by a spring from the mountains. Not that we are untouched by the drought, mind you. A summer with no appreciable rainfall has left it’s mark. We are busily adding drip irrigation to all my raised beds and the plans are underway to continue to create a beautiful labyrinth of raised beds to replace the water hungry grass. We already water our two big pine trees with the grey water from our washing machine and collect rainwater for part of our greenhouse watering needs…when we have rain that is. So, for now, here on our peaceful little farm we have sufficient for our needs. There is no need to fear. Or is there?

 

I have watched with mounting alarm as community after community on our east and west coasts lose their water rights. Some had those rights signed away by greedy politicians who sold the water behind closed doors to big water companies who then sell that water to the rest of us for close to 2 US dollars a bottle. And as the drought has intesified they are finding out exactly how precious is what they have signed away. In other states water rights have been taken away by laws passed when people were not paying enough attention. In many states now it is illegal to capture rainwater from your own roof and there are high penalties if you do.

 

So, I begin to wonder. Is it gold we should be stockpiling against future economic distress and unrest? Or is it water?