The
irony is inescapable: In reaction to the historic drought that has
transformed the California dream into California dust, the state is now
embarking on the construction of a wave of desalination plants that will
turn ocean water into fresh water. Tragically, these power-hungry
desalination plants will be running primarily on fossil fuel-generated
electricity, meaning that California residents will have to commit
global warming crimes (i.e. producing carbon dioxide) every time they
flush their toilets or take a shower.
Fresh water, in other words, is about to have a
"fossil fuel consumption equivalent" across the state. Every gallon of
water consumed will have a calculable CO2 emission profile and mercury
pollution factor, meaning that a person will not be able to live in
California without being a global warming sinner.
California, of course, is the state that prides
itself on being progressive and environmentally conscious. Yes its
non-sustainable lifestyle consumed the region's limited fossil water
supplies to the point of near-collapse. Now, it must become America's
worst carbon dioxide producer just to provide basic water supplies to
its people. And where will all the natural gas and coal come from that
powers these desalination plants? The very same energy-producing states
that Californians typically condemn for producing fossil fuels.
Flush a toilet and you destroy the planet
Most eco-conscious Californians are unaware that the energy they use comes predominantly from fossil fuels. (See source.) Natural gas -- which produces carbon dioxide when burned -- generates almost half the state's electricity. Coal generates another eight percent or so, meaning that fossil fuels provide the majority of California's electricity. (Renewables only provide about 18 percent, and nuclear provides another nine percent or so.)
Most eco-conscious Californians are unaware that the energy they use comes predominantly from fossil fuels. (See source.) Natural gas -- which produces carbon dioxide when burned -- generates almost half the state's electricity. Coal generates another eight percent or so, meaning that fossil fuels provide the majority of California's electricity. (Renewables only provide about 18 percent, and nuclear provides another nine percent or so.)
What this means is that as more and more
desalination plants come online, they'll be using primarily fossil fuels
to process water -- an energy-intensive operation.
"A $1 billion desalination plant to supply
booming San Diego County is under construction here and due to open as
early as November, providing a major test of whether California cities
will be able to resort to the ocean to solve their water woes," reports
the New York Times. "Plans are
far along for a large plant in Huntington Beach that would supply water
to populous Orange County. A mothballed plant in Santa Barbara may soon
be reactivated. And more than a dozen communities along the California
coast are studying the issue."
As each of these plants comes online, they will
add an extremely high energy cost to the water consumed by California
residents. Every act that consumes water -- washing your hands, watering
a garden, flushing a toilet -- will carry a heightened ecological cost.
When water simply falls out of the sky, consuming that water is
ecologically sound. But when water has to be procured using extremely
energy-intensive desalination systems, it can no longer be considered a
"green" resource.
"[Desalination plants] will use a huge amount of
electricity, increasing the carbon dioxide emissions that cause global
warming, which further strains water supplies," writes the New York
Times, reiterating what the liberal media calls "concluded science"
which claims modern-day global warming is almost entirely caused by
human activity. If that's the case, however, then Californians who
consume water produced by desalination plants must categorize themselves
as global warming sinners who are destroying the planet every time they
drink a cup of water.
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