This week’s episode of Reveal, the radio program from the Center for Investigative Reporting, looks at the human machinations behind water shortages in Yemen and California.
In Yemen, a civil war appears to have exacerbated the mismanagement of water, which has in turn increased civil unrest in a positive feedback loop.
In California, the increasing use of groundwater has caused the land to subside (sink down) as more water is pumped out.
The final segment discusses the use of high technology to create a meat replacement that uses less water; I disagree that this is the way forward. Although this is a clever use of high-tech solutions, we could reduce the amount of water used in meat production by eating less meat and getting that meat locally. For a fuller discussion of the institute’s view on meat, have a listen to Low Tech Podcast, No. 8.
You can listen to the episode on Reveal’s website, subscribe on the regular podcast apps, or click play below: