The lecture was given by a pretty young Chicagoan with some forward-thinking, if not half-baked, ideas about how to manage the impending water shortage. When I learn more about modern ecological crises, I always have to balance a feeling of dread and hope. On one hand, that shit is scary. I don't see enough people shifting their behaviors to proactively manage the issues we face today. Besides that, some populations are still making babies like they're rabbits, further taxing the world's resources. Federal policy seems stuck in the stone ages. The fact that Seattle administration wants to build a huge ass tunnel along the waterfront to move more cars through makes my heart sink....and Seattle is a pretty progressive place.
Then I feel hopeful, because at least people are talking about these problems that we are now responsible for. I think of the really smart people in the world, and people in my profession, the sciences, education, and technology, who are working towards finding solutions. And I don't mean the keynote speaker's ideas were half-baked in a bad way. His visions for a Chicago that has renewable irrigation canals to serve the people and feed Lake Michigan are inspiring. His models look like a lush metropolis filled with a grid of waterways ("blue belts"), greenery, food-bearing gardens, and no cars. Eden? It seems like it'll take a while before the masses place value on that ideal. Maybe when water becomes a commodity like oil.
Sometimes I think that we are on the brink of an Environmental Revolution, much like the Industrial Revolution. All of the sudden, boom, the whole world is working towards a common goal and ideas are flowing and so is the money. Other times I think we are not doing nearly enough.
Dave picked me up from the lecture. We stopped at Rancho Bravo on our way home, a parked taco truck that makes some damn fine food. The impending water shortage may be scary but at least there are enough burritos to go around.
1 comment:
mmmm, burritos
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