Letters to the Editor
Reader gets scientific on wildfires, climate change
As recent summers have made clear, wildland megafires are no longer a regional anomaly, but have become a global hazard. The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reports that, due to human-induced climate change, “Extreme wildfire activity has more than doubled worldwide.”
Hotter temperatures evaporate soil moisture and dry vegetation, making it more likely to burn. According to physicist Phillip B. Duffy, “What would have been a fire easily extinguished now just grows very quickly and becomes out of control.”
More intense wildfires are just one symptom of a much larger problem. A study in the journal Science concludes that global soil moisture is in “permanent” decline because of our warming climate.
The drying of continents, driven by increased heat and evaporation, has been so pronounced that the transfer of water to the oceans has altered the distribution of our planet’s mass and affected Earth’s rotation on its axis.
As continents dry and water resources are polluted and overused, researchers warn that the world has entered an era of “global water bankruptcy,” in which critical water systems can no longer realistically recover to their former state.
According to a recent report, the Colorado, Indus, Yellow and Tigris-Euphrates rivers have undergone substantial changes in flow. Moreover, “about 70% of the world’s major aquifers exhibit long-term declining trends.” This includes the largest groundwater reserve in the United States, the Ogallala Aquifer, which supports Great Plains agriculture.
As evidenced by toxic Canadian wildfire smoke drifting across the U.S., deadly European heatwaves, and rapidly expanding “mega-drying” regions in South Asia, the atmosphere has no borders.
As guests of this world, we must insist that our legislators enact policies to cut emissions, conserve water, and protect Earth’s life‑support systems on which we all depend.
Terry Hansen
Possibility of treatment plants rises as town grows
I am not taking sides on data centers nor dismiss valid concerns. Having been in their position I understand the difficult decisions for commissioners. We have limited water and power sources which sooner than later will reach maximum usage, with or without a data center! Commissioners need to balance options into the future. Which will better support county government and individual economics, commercial enterprises or housing developments. Both have their drawbacks and benefits.
Consider a balance to share resources, or which one is the best tax return and individual economics for the community. Thousands more homes, more traffic, require infrastructure, road repairs, stop lights, etc. Additionally, when buildout is complete, the possibility of expensive treatment plants is real.
The computer revolution was indicative, computer banks took lots of space, stored and disseminated large quantities of information. Dissent over fear of job losses was significant. Like the computer revolution, AI and data centers that support AI are likely here to stay, so the dilemma is making them acceptable to the public.
The capitalist approach is completing a project at the lowest possible cost, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that. It is cheaper for data centers to take thousands of gallons from our aquifer and tap our electrical grid. Electrical use may be high and possibly increase our rates. My research claims the permitting process can be adjudicated with contracts to pay those increases. As for water usage, an educated friend familiar with these issues once asked me, “How much water, over time, do you have to add to your radiator to cool the car’s engine?”.
Obviously, their construction costs need to vastly reduce water and power usage. Completely off-grid data centers are being built, but substantially more expensive and harder to operate reliably; their problem, not ours! I have heard “what’s in it for us; that’s valid”. Maybe proof it will be contracted with no cost to us while sharing our tax burden, starting with no tax incentives.
Gene Fisher (USN Retired)
