"There will be a new climatology that is like a permanent drought," says Ting. "It really is a severe problem in terms of managing water resources." Tapio Schneider, an assistant professor of environmental science and engineering at Caltech, points out that these findings and projections are consistent across all subtropical regions, such as in Australia, which is also suffering from droughtlike conditions. He also notes that water issues are already being addressed. "There are people in government that are worrying about this," he says, "and have been worrying about this for awhile."

Just last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated his proposal that his state set aside $5.9 billion to better manage its water resources. "Water infrastructure is no different than when we talk about transportation infrastructure or the infrastructure in our building more schools," he said at a press conference. "As we see an increase in population we must build more. We must build more roads, we must build more schools and we must build more above-the-ground water storage."

1 Comments

1. 1. DesertRat 09:59 AM 1/23/09

   Why are all SciAm.com articles so conclusionary? Of all sources, scientific magazines, even those catering to the general public, should exhibit a scientific approach that sources its findings and conclusions with referenced facts.

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