Letter: Water wise we aren’t

Re “Water demand to exceed supply,” Dec. 13, and David Horsey’s Dec. 14 editorial cartoon

These two pieces offer an ironic juxtaposition: David Horsey’s cartoon analyzes conservatives’ unthinking rejection of climate change, and a report warns of rapidly dwindling water supplies in the Colorado River Basin. How many climate-change denialists live in those seven states?

Our media privilege the discussion of religion, rationalizing that people are entitled to their own beliefs. True enough. But climate science is no theology and relies on facts. The facts of a warming planet emerge in frequent news reports. The observations of rising temperatures and melting ice caps are confirmed and reconfirmed. The analysis of climate data shows very strong correlation between our warming planet and the increasing amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Climate change is not a matter of belief but of understanding and action. No faith is required.

Warren Senders

Medford, Mass.

Projecting that the supply of water from the Colorado River will fall short of demand in the future is laughable, given the cavalier attitude about water use in Los Angeles County today.

In my neighborhood alone we are bleeding water every day. Every morning while out walking I see miniature Colorado Rivers gushing down the gutter and disappearing down storm drains. I see broken sprinkler heads shooting geysers of water six feet in the air. Automated sprinkler systems run during storms.

Instead of talking about desalinating water, building pipelines to the Mississippi River and hauling in icebergs, maybe we should spend more time and money dealing with water waste.

Linda Navroth

Los Angeles

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