Episode 70: "The End of Thirst"

According to the United Nations, 1.2 billion people already suffer from severe water shortages, and that number is expected to increase to 1.8 billion over the next decade, in part because of climate change.
— Sam Kean, "The End of Thirst", December 2015 issue of The Atlantic
Water recycling is a proven technology: California recycles hundreds of millions of gallons each day for irrigation and other uses. So what’s stopping recycled wastewater from going directly to our taps? Human psychology. The very idea of drinking it disgusts many people. They view such water as irredeemably dirty, little better than toilet water.
— Sam Kean, "The End of Thirst", December 2015 issue of The Atlantic

Although many of us may not think about it, water has always been and continues to be a precious resource for life on Earth - human and otherwise. As the global population has increased, however, supplies of fresh water have begun to dwindle. Various scientists, governments and communities around the world have started to think of solutions in response to the potential problem. This week, we react to an article in The Atlantic which deals with this issue. What are our preconceptions surrounding water and what ends would we consider pursuing for our own survival as a species? 

Episode 28: Strangely Like War

A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.
— Franklin D. Roosevelt
Trees, how many of ‘em do we need to look at?
— Ronald Reagan

In this episode, Hector gives a reading from Strangely Like War: The Global Assault on Forests by Derrick Jensen and George Draffan. He reads from Chapter 1, "Deforestation" and Chapter 2, "Forest Dwellers". We discuss human impacts on global forests, our various relationships with nature and how different cultures respond to and appreciate our environment.