Sept. 9, 2025 8 AM PT
To the editor: Ian James’ and Sean Greene’s current reporting on California’s disappearing groundwater is important studying (“Humanity is rapidly depleting water and much of the world is getting drier,” Sept. 3). It additionally echoes the trajectory we’ve witnessed in Iran, the place the identical “conquer the desert” mindset — deep wells, dams and aqueducts — pushed the nation into what specialists now name water bankruptcy.
Iran’s water administration has rather a lot in frequent with California’s, however Iran refused to course-correct at the same time as aquifers collapsed, rivers and wetlands dried up, and thousands and thousands have been displaced. Water turned a political weapon within the arms of unaccountable elites, with devastating human penalties.
California shouldn’t be Iran. It has the benefit of democratic establishments, a free press and civic activism. However the structural problem is similar: highly effective agricultural pursuits demanding extra water than nature can present. Until California treats recharge and sustainable use as pressing priorities, it dangers repeating Iran’s mistake — turning into a worldwide warning quite than a mannequin.
Nik Kowsar and Alireza Nader, Washington, D.C.
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To the editor: It is a nice article to have on the Sunday entrance web page. Simply as I believe I’ve heard about all of the potential penalties of local weather change, a potential new one pops up. I’m reminded of considered one of Donald Rumsfeld’s quotes: “There are … unknown unknowns, those we don’t know we don’t know.”
This is likely one of the scary points of local weather change. We expect we all know what’s going to occur — extra excessive climate, ocean acidification, extra and bigger fires, and so forth. Now, as I realized from this well-written article, the world is shedding recent water and it could not come again. The believable causes given are “rising temperatures unleashed by utilizing oil and fuel, and widespread overpumping of water.” That is simply one other good cause to get up and take swift motion to cut back the quantity of greenhouse gases in our ambiance. What else can we not know concerning the results of local weather change?
Larry Kramer, San Juan Capistrano
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To the editor: Whereas the warnings of disappearing recent water are legitimate and prescient, it’s vital to notice that there isn’t any scarcity of water on Earth. Nevertheless, there’s a scarcity of low cost, simply accessible water. The Earth’s floor is about 70% water-covered and we all know how you can desalinate the seas and oceans.
As situations proceed to worsen and water turns into an increasing number of worthwhile, I’ve little question that mankind will flip to no matter is critical to maintain life. Will there be distress earlier than that occurs? Undoubtedly, however it’s in our nature to place off till tomorrow what we needs to be doing as we speak.
Ron Garber, Duarte
