Significant Figures by Peter Gleick
Archives for March, 2013
Three people, three days in the desert, 7 gallons of water
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 31, 2013 There’s nothing like spending time in the desert to make one appreciate water. It might seem strange to some that a water wonk like me spends considerable time in the desert. I’ve tried to go down to the vast Southern California desert for some time every year, typically in the spring when the winter cold is receding…
World Water Day 2013
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 21, 2013 Some thoughts for today: the bad news and good news for World Water Day. [First, I think every day should be World Water Day, not just March 22nd, but hey, that’s just me.] Stop taking your tap water for granted. Go to your tap, draw a glass of water, and drink it. Then remember that…
Climate Change and the Integrity of Science redux
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 21, 2013 Nearly two years ago, Science magazine published the following Lead Letter, signed by 255 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences addressing attacks on the integrity of climate science. The science has continued to strengthen, the evidence in real world observations has become even stronger and more obvious. In response, in the past few months, there…
Water at the Movies: 2013 Update
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 20, 2013 Water is a theme that runs through all forms of popular culture, from books to myths to Hollywood and international films, with a growing number of shorter video pieces posted online at YouTube and similar sites. Having trouble keeping your Netflix list populated? Below are some classic (good and bad) movies – good and bad…
On the back of an envelope: The water benefits of an efficient toilet
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 13, 2013 Here is the second in what will be a series of posts on how little things like changes in technology we take for granted, or simple behaviors, can have a big impact on water use. The first looked at turning off the water when you brush your teeth: a seemingly trivial thing. It turned out…
200 Years of Dr. John Snow: A Significant Figure in the World of Water
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 11, 2013 In a previous post here, I discussed the scourge of cholera – a waterborne disease largely vanquished in the wealthier nations by our water and wastewater treatment systems. Unfortunately, it remains widespread and lethal. Cholera is perhaps the most common and serious water-related disease, directly associated with the failure to provide safe drinking water and…
An Inevitable Headline in 2014: “Planet’s CO2 level reaches 400 ppm for first time in human existence.”
Posted by Peter Gleick on March 7, 2013 Sometime, about one year from now, the front pages of whatever decent newspapers are left will carry a headline like the one above, announcing that for the first time in human existence (or in nearly a million years, or 3 million years, or 15 million years), the global atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide – the…