XPost: can.politics, bc.politics, ab.politics   
   XPost: ont.politics   
   From: gregcarrsober@gmail.com   
      
   On 22/02/2014 1:19 PM, ConɀƦConɀ wrote:   
   > Trading water for fuel is fracking crazy   
   >   
   > It would be difficult to live without oil and gas. But it would be   
   > impossible to live without water. Yet, in our mad rush to extract and   
   > sell every drop of gas and oil as quickly as possible, we’re trading   
   > precious water for fossil fuels.   
   >   
   > A recent report, “Hydraulic Fracturing and Water Stress”, shows the   
   > severity of the problem. Alberta and B.C. are among eight North American   
   > regions examined in the study by Ceres, a U.S.-based nonprofit   
   > advocating for sustainability leadership.   
   >   
   > One of the most disturbing findings is that hydraulic fracturing, or   
   > fracking, is using enormous amounts of water in areas that can scarcely   
   > afford it. The report notes that close to half the oil and gas wells   
   > recently fracked in the U.S. “are in regions with high or extremely high   
   > water stress” and more than 55 per cent are in areas experiencing   
   > drought. In Colorado and California, almost all wells – 97 and 96 per   
   > cent, respectively – are in regions with high or extremely high water   
   > stress, meaning more than 80 per cent of available surface and   
   > groundwater has already been allocated for municipalities, industry and   
   > agriculture.   
   > A quarter of Alberta wells are in areas with medium to high water stress.   
   >   
   > Drought and fracking have already caused some small communities in Texas   
   > to run out of water altogether, and parts of California are headed for   
   > the same fate. As we continue to extract and burn ever greater amounts   
   > of oil, gas and coal, climate change is getting worse, which will likely   
   > lead to more droughts in some areas and flooding in others. California’s   
   > drought may be the worst in 500 years, according to B. Lynn Ingram, an   
   > earth and planetary sciences professor at the University of California,   
   > Berkeley. That’s causing a shortage of water for drinking and   
   > agriculture, and for salmon and other fish that spawn in streams and   
   > rivers. With no rain to scrub the air, pollution in the Los Angeles area   
   > has returned to dangerous levels of decades past.   
   >   
   > Because of lack of information from industry and inconsistencies in   
   > water volume reporting, Ceres’ Western Canada data analysis “represents   
   > a very small proportion of the overall activity taking place.”   
   > Researchers determined, though, that Alberta fracking operations have   
   > started using more “brackish/saline” groundwater instead of freshwater.   
   > The report cautions that this practice needs more study “given the   
   > potential for brackish water to be used in the future for drinking   
   > water” and the fact that withdrawing salty groundwater “can also   
   > adversely impact interconnected freshwater resources.”   
   >   
   > Although B.C. fracking operations are now mainly in low water stress   
   > regions, reduced precipitation and snowpack, low river levels and even   
   > drought conditions in some areas – likely because of climate change –   
   > raise concerns about the government’s plan to rapidly expand the   
   > industry. The report cites a “lack of regulation around groundwater   
   > withdrawals” and cumulative impacts on First Nations lands as issues   
   > with current fracking.   
   >   
   > Ceres’ study only looks at fracking impacts on freshwater supplies, and   
   > offers recommendations to reduce those, including recycling water, using   
   > brackish or wastewater, strengthening regulations and finding better   
   > ways to dispose of fracking wastewater. But the drilling method comes   
   > with other environmental problems, from groundwater contamination to   
   > massive ecosystem and habitat disruption – even small earth tremors –   
   > all done in the name of short-term gain.   
   >   
   > It’s important to heed the conclusions and recommendations of this study   
   > and others, but given the problems with fracking, and other forms of   
   > extraction, we must find ways to control our insatiable fossil fuel   
   > demand. That burning these – often wastefully – contributes to climate   
   > change, and our methods of extraction exacerbate the problems, should   
   > make us take a good look at how we’re treating this planet and   
   > everything on it, including ourselves and generations to come. It’s a   
   > reminder that we need to conserve energy in every way possible.   
   >   
   > In the short term, we must realize that we have better ways to create   
   > jobs and build the economy than holding an “everything must go” sale on   
   > our precious resources. In the longer term, we must rethink our outdated   
   > economic systems, which were devised for times when resources were   
   > plentiful and infrastructure was scarce. Our highest priorities must be   
   > the air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil that provides food and   
   > the biodiversity that keeps us alive and healthy.   
   >   
   >   
   > By David Suzuki with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior   
   > Editor Ian Hanington   
   >   
   > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
   >   
   >   
   > “It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the   
   > environment.” ― Ansel Adams   
   >   
   > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
   >   
   This is the same David Suzuki who said we would have to evacuate the   
   west coast if there was another Fukishima earthquake.   
      
   --   
   *Read and obey the Bible*   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)