Reference no: EM132838279

GEOG 465 Sustainable Communities and Development - California State University

After reading Sandra Postel's Replenish, write a 3-page essay (12-pt font, double-spaced, 1" margins, number pages) on what you are taking away from the book. Give consideration to at least three of the following prompts in composing your essay (no specific order, please do not just supply answers out of context with the rest of your essay).

Question 1. I included this book (and "water") as part of the second theme of exploration in our class syllabus, Sustainable Food Systems and Agriculture. How do regenerative agriculture and agroecological practices have some of the most important connections to and impacts on the sustainability of water for the health and well-being of ecosystems including human communities.

Question 2. Even though Postel takes a "reformist" (food security) approach rather than a more "progressive" (justice) or "radical" (sovereignty) approach to water sustainability, she chose not to use the common phrase "water resources" in writing her book, though she writes extensively about rivers, streams, lakes, and wetlands. Why do you think she might have consciously chosen to avoid this term?

Question 3. Replenish makes the case that we will experience the impacts of climate change largely through the water cycle - for example, more numerous and or severe thunderstorms, floods, droughts, and algal blooms; as well as under groundwater depletion and sea level rise. As a society, how do we prepare for these threats and build more resilience?

Question 4. The United States has decoupled water use from economic growth, meaning the water use has declined even as the economy has grown. Why is this important? What were some of the key tools and policies that have allowed this to happen?

Question 5. Soil is often missing from diagrams of the global water cycle, yet soils can theoretically hold eight times more water than all the world's rivers combined. Why has the water- holding capacity of soil decreased, and what can be done to rebuild this critical water reservoir?

Question 6. For most of modern history we have relied on large dams, diversion canals, flood control levees, and other impressive engineering works to meet our water challenges. These engineering solutions have yielded enormous benefits for society and the world economy. But Replenish makes the argument that to build resilience to the impacts of climate change, society will need to work more with nature rather than against it - for example, by reactivating river flood plains to capture more flood waters rather than relying so much on levees. It calls for more "eco-engineering solutions." What do you think of this argument? What are some of the best examples to support (or negate) it?

Question 7. The Colorado River rarely reaches the sea anymore. Why is this? Replenish includes a chapter on the U.S.-Mexico initiative to restore a portion of the desiccated Colorado River delta. What will it take for this initiative to succeed over the long term? Is the investment worth making? What lessons might we take from the Colorado River story going forward?

Question 8. Algal blooms are a growing problem in the world's rivers, lakes, and estuaries. In 2014, an algal bloom in Lake Erie forced Toledo, Ohio to temporarily shut down its drinking water intake from the lake. What was the risk in drinking the water? Why are algal blooms increasing around the world? And what might we as a society do to reduce them?

Question 9. In recent years parts of Australia, Canada, and the United States and other countries have experienced massive wildfires which scientists predict will grow in size and number as global heating progresses. Why are these mega-fires a threat to drinking water quality and what can be done to protect water sources from fire risks?

Attachment:- Sustainable Development and Communities.rar