Fluid State (1/10/14)

Climate One

Earth Sciences, Social Sciences, Science, News, News Commentary

4.7 • 583 Ratings

🗓️ 16 January 2014

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

“For us, a drought means human misery, economic devastation to some natural assets and certainly an unproductive living standard for the majority of our people,” said California state senator Jean Fuller (R), who represents the Central Valley. With the state’s rainfall hitting record lows in 2013, California’s drought is a pressing issue in this election year. The shortage will be felt most by farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, and while many fields have been converted to water-conserving drip irrigation, “there’s still a large percentage of crops in California that are irrigated by flood irrigation,” according to Matt Weiser, senior writer at The Sacramento Bee. But conservation can’t be limited to agriculture – all sectors need to recognize that water is a limited resource, according to state senator Lois Wolk (D). "If you tie the amount of water to the price, you create an immediate incentive for conservation," Wolk said. Experts debate management and policy opportunities as California faces its third year of drought. Lois Wolk, California State Senator (D-Davis) Jean Fuller, California State Senator (R-Bakersfield) Matt Weiser, Senior Writer, The Sacramento Bee This program was recorded in front of a live audience at The Commonwealth Club of California on January 10, 2014 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	How will we power our future? Can we create a healthy and clean economy?
0:05.0	Climate One at the Commonwealth Club is at the forefront of the global debate about energy, economy, and the environment.
0:11.4	Bringing together the brightest and most provocative leaders of our time,
0:15.2	Climate One is the place where big ideas get heard.
0:18.2	With thoughtful and insightful discussions on policy, business, science, and culture,
0:22.7	Climate One founder Greg Dalton gets to the heart of the matter.
0:26.3	It's our future.
0:27.6	It's time to come together.
0:29.4	I'm Greg Dalton, and today at Climate One, we're talking about California's drought
0:32.7	and the future of fresh water in our parched state.
0:36.0	2013 was the driest calendar year on record,
0:39.6	and reservoirs around the state look like puddles.
0:42.2	As we record this program in mid-January,
0:44.4	snow levels in the Sierra Nevada are 20% of normal,
0:47.9	signaling water stress into 2015,
0:50.9	even if big rains come this year.
0:53.7	Over the next hour, we'll discuss California's water crunch,
0:56.8	what individuals can do and how the state can balance competing needs for energy and water.
1:02.3	We will talk about immediate measures to keep California's people and economy hydrated and happy
1:07.1	and long-term solutions to the water impacts of an increasingly volatile climate driven by our addiction to fossil fuels.
1:16.4	Our conversation will include questions from our live audience here at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.
1:20.9	Joining us are California State Senator Gene Fuller, Republican from Bakersfield, California State Senator Lois Wolk, Democrat from Davis,
	...

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