How the West Was Lost: In America’s First Climate War

Re:How the West Was Lost: In America’s First Climate War by archgoon on Sunday September 30, 2018 @04:07AM (#18105136)

Huh. I learned about the Great Dust Bowl in American High School mostly through it's economic and sociological impact, books like "Grapes of Wrath".

The science behind it, and that it was predicted by John Wesley Powell isn't discussed. It's just a thing that happened. Maybe other schools, or more recent education, discuss it more in depth.

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Re:How the West Was Lost: In America’s First Climate War by 1auralynn on Sunday September 30, 2018 @12:13PM (#18106756)

I watched the Ken Burns documentary about the dust bowl, it covers the science and farming practices that led to it - VERY interesting and well done, if a bit dry.

My main takeaway was that they "solved" the dust bowl by pumping water up from the aquifers, which are now like 70% depleted - scary.

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Re:How the West Was Lost: In America’s First Climate War by gumby on Sunday September 30, 2018 @07:25AM (#18105702)

Nor is the fact that the same extractive practices were then brought to California’s Central Valley where they are also resulting in environmental destruction.

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