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May 11, 2015
ssc
17 min 2,127 words 665 comments podcast
Scott analyzes California's water usage, critiques media coverage of the drought, and proposes a market-based solution focused on reducing alfalfa farming. Longer summary
This post analyzes California's water usage and the current drought crisis. Scott breaks down water consumption by sector using data from various sources, comparing it to a family budget for easier comprehension. He then examines recent news stories about water usage, pointing out how some concerns (like fracking and bottled water) are insignificant compared to agricultural use, particularly alfalfa farming. Finally, he discusses the potential for a market-based solution, suggesting that paying alfalfa farmers not to grow their crop could be more cost-effective than current water-saving measures. Shorter summary