Global Warming is a Threat to Global Security

In 1983, U.S. National Academy of Sciences (NAS) called climate change "a cause for concern," which was an understatement. By the 1990s, special interests, politicians, media, and other untoward took over United Nations and national global warming responses.  

In an AUGUST 08, 2009 article 'Climate Change Seen as Threat to U.S. Security' global warming (aka, climate change) is seen as a direct threat to national security: "The world’s rising temperatures, surging seas and melting glaciers are a direct threat to the national interest."  

"Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat who is the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and a leading advocate for the climate legislation, said he hoped to sway Senate skeptics by pressing that issue to pass a meaningful bill." "[Senator Kerry] did not identify those senators, but the list of undecided includes many from coal and manufacturing states and from the South and Southeast, which will face the sharpest energy price increases from any carbon emissions control program." Of course the congressional left Democrats and President Obama did nothing to alter the course of global warming.  

"The Department of Defense’s assessment of the security issue came about after prodding by Congress to include climate issues in its strategic plans — specifically, in 2008 budget authorizations by Hillary Rodham Clinton [D] and John W. Warner [R], then senators. The department’s climate modeling is based on sophisticated Navy and Air Force weather programs and other government climate research programs at NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration."

By 1974 there were 54 operating nuclear reactors in the United States with another 197 on order. The U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) in 1974 predicted that by the end of the century 50% of all U.S. electricity generation would come from nuclear power construction on existing orders. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. Less than half of the reactors on order in 1974 under the NRC were ever completed. Politicians and coal, natural gas, and oil special interests took over the U.S. energy sector to grow use of fossil fuel -- global warming trends became more firmly established.

'The Wall Street Journal: Dismissing Environmental Threats Since 1976', AUGUST 02, 2012 -- Judging by political and media responses to issues of curtailing the threat of global warming, there would appear with consistency that few adequately communicate catastrophic events. "To forestall policy on climate change, the Wall Street Journal editorial board routinely downplays scientific consensus, overstates the cost of taking action, and claims that politics, not science, motivate those concerned about the climate. But an analysis of more than 100 editorials from 1976 to present shows that the Wall Street Journal used these same rhetorical tactics in previous decades on acid rain and ozone depletion and they did not stand the test of time." Still protecting Wall Street Journal investments in self interests, a September 2011 Wall Street editorial claimed that Al Gore and other "climate-change advocates" have "tried to bully anyone who keeps an open mind," which "is true of many political projects, but it is or ought to be anathema to the scientific method."  

For more than two decades scope and goals of global warming mitigations have been sidetracked by political process of deceit, misrepresentation, and corruption. Currently, with dictatorial powers in hand, left Democrats have furthered predicted the demise of human races. Media has intentionally played an important part misrepresenting the critical nature of need for quick global warming mitigations responses. Current major obstacles to securing a future for human races is President Obama, biased media, and a dedicated small but politically influential coal, natural gas, oil energy interests.

CHANGE IS NEEDED

Without changes now, human races are terminated 2050-2055. 

Saving human-races tasks are both time and government funding critical. Changing global climate will pose profound strategic challenges to the United States in coming decades, raising the prospect of military intervention to deal with the effects of violent storms, drought, mass migration and pandemics, military and intelligence analysts say. Currently, U.S. National Guards are now acting as forest and brush firefighters within some states.  

Climate-induced crises could topple governments, feed terrorist movements or destabilize entire regions, say the analysts, experts at the Pentagon and intelligence agencies who for the first time are taking a serious look at the national security implications of climate change.

Recent war games and intelligence studies conclude that over the next 20 to 30 years, vulnerable regions, particularly sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and South and Southeast Asia and all water systems, will face the prospect of food shortages, water crises, and catastrophic flooding driven by climate change that could demand an American humanitarian relief or military response. Near term resulting number of lives lost will be in the millions.

An exercise in 2008 at an educational institute explored the potential impact of a destructive flood in Bangladesh that sent hundreds of thousands of refugees streaming into neighboring India, touching off religious conflict, the spread of contagious diseases and vast damage to infrastructure. “It gets real complicated real quickly,” said Amanda J. Dory (Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs in the Office of the Secretary of Defense) who is working with a Pentagon group assigned to incorporate climate change into national security strategy planning.

Much of the public and political debate on global warming has focused on finding "green" substitutes for fossil fuels, eliminating nuclear energy, and furthering unproductive negotiations toward an international climate treaty. A growing number of policy makers say that the world’s rising temperatures, surging seas and melting glaciers are a direct threat to national interest. Public review of global warming threats and security challenges are inadequate.

If the United States does not lead the world in reducing fossil-fuel consumption and thus emissions of global warming gases, proponents of this view say, a series of global environmental, social, political and possibly military crises loom that the nation will urgently have to address -- not addressing global warming issues now and "kicking the can down the road" will make mitigations more expensive later. Lawmakers leading the debate before Congress are only now beginning to make the national security argument for approving legislation. If replacement nuclear energy is properly phased-in, significant energy price increases may not occur.

In 2009, said Senator Kerry, “I’ve been making this argument for a number of years, but it has not been a focus because a lot of people had not connected the dots.” Former conflict in southern Sudan, which killed and displaced tens of thousands of people, is a result of drought and expansion of deserts in the north. “That is going to be repeated many times over and on a much larger scale,” Senator Kerry said. He said he had urged President Obama to make the case. Former Vice President Al Gore has also urged President Obama to respond to global warming.

The Pentagon and the State Department have studied issues arising from dependence on foreign sources of energy for years but are only now considering the effects of global warming in their long-term planning documents. In February 2009, the Pentagon included a climate section in the Quadrennial Defense Review.

Military and intelligence planners are now aware of the challenge posed by global warming. Many of its critical installations are vulnerable to rising seas and storm surges. In Florida, Homestead Air Force Base was essentially destroyed by Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and Hurricane Ivan badly damaged Naval Air Station Pensacola in 2004. Military planners are studying ways to protect the major naval stations in Norfolk, Va., and San Diego from climate-induced rising seas and severe storms. Another vulnerable installation is Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Indian Ocean that serves as a logistics hub for American and British forces in the Middle East and sits a few feet above sea level. Global relocation now of some U.S. naval facilities may be required. Ocean level rise effects all coastal cities and ocean coastlines.

Global warming temperature rise has a profound effect upon marine life cycles and thus continued human existence. Needed is a great deal more clarification of impact of marine changes upon human food chains.

A lack of rain and has brought the worst drought in more than 50 years to America's Midwest that usually provides over half the corn and more than two-fifths of the soybeans to world markets, and counterproductive corn-ethanol to U.S. cars. The impact of the sustained drought goes beyond farming. Rivers in the Midwest are actually drying up, including a 100-mile stretch of the Platte River in Nebraska. In the Mississippi -- which carries 60% of the nation’s grain, 22% of its oil and gas and 20% of its coal -- the drought has dropped water levels so far that barges have been forced to carry less cargo as they try to navigate the shallow waters. River flows are maintained by groundwaters and are part of the water-cycle.

It is questionable if Midwest High Plains aquifer can sustain current irrigation rates much into the 2020s. The Colorado River is managed and operated since 1922 under numerous compacts, federal laws, court decisions and decrees, contracts, and regulatory guidelines collectively known as the "Law of the River." Satellite data aids in surface and groundwater level identification. Largely missing from media reporting is the management of California’s groundwater resources, which in dry years provide nearly 40 percent of the state’s water supplies. Changing regional water systems requires time.

Arctic Region melting presents new problems for the military. The shrinking of the ice cap, which is proceeding faster than anticipated only a few years ago, opens a shipping channel that must be defended and undersea oil, natural gas, and undersea methane resources are already the focus of international competition. Further warming of Arctic Region's huge amounts of natural methane and carbon emissions are ocean-current temperature dependent and land surface air temperature dependent. Arctic Region natural methane and carbon emissions form a powerful reinforced positive feedback loop that is directly temperature and regional emissions related, which also results in (catastrophic) increased global warming.  

Global warming by itself has significant geopolitical impacts around the world and will contribute to a host of problems, including poverty, environmental degradation and the weakening of national governments. Assessments warn near term storms, droughts and food shortages result from a warming planet in coming decades will create numerous relief emergencies. “The demands of these potential humanitarian responses may significantly tax U.S. military transportation and support force structures, resulting in a strained readiness posture and decreased strategic depth for combat operations,” a military report said.

Increased population and gross domestic product (GDP) directly increase energy used and increased greenhouse gases. In 1750, world population was estimated to be 700 million. Current global population is 7 billion and it is expected to exceed 9 billion before 2050. Energy demand is growing explosively to meet human needs and aspirations worldwide.  Much of this demand is currently being met by fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, oil). Historical energy use is unsustainable. Because most greenhouse gases come from the use of fossil fuels, the central task of a global emissions-reduction strategy must be to quickly transition to existing technology of high capacity clean nuclear energy. Natural and human global greenhouse gases are to peak by 2020 and decline thereafter.

NOTE:  Global greenhouse gas emissions must, before 2050, have an atmospheric content of carbon, methane, and nitrous oxide that averts catastrophic climate change and averts end of human races.

President Obama and left Democratic promotion of "green" alternatives to nuclear energy has been ineffective correcting 250-years of global greenhouse gas emissions. Unbiased media should report on the more than two decades of motivations for politically promoting "green" unsound, ineffective, and unsustainable diversions from proper nuclear energy responses.   

Top ten world energy consumers by country in 2012 - units in million-billion BTUs (see energy unit Quads): United States 57.227, China 50.690, Russia 18.132, Japan 13.031, India 11.891, Germany 8.556, Canada 8.360, France 6.728, Brazil 6.335, Korea 5.891, and total Worldwide is 293.110. Nuclear energy production is 5.8% of total world energy production. Current and past coal, natural gas, and oil energy production has significantly added to atmospheric carbon content that increases global warming.    

By continually producing hydrocarbon (coal, natural gas, oil) energy infrastructures there results exceeding 'global carbon budget.' Exceeding global energy infrastructure catastrophic conditions are established about 2017. To alter the course of global warming events, there now must quickly be reductions of human and natural greenhouse gases with reductions of coal, natural gas, and oil infrastructures.

Over the coming five-years, the least-cost and only global warming option to lowering global warming is by steadily transforming global energy systems to nuclear energy zero greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn lowers human and natural carbon-cycle gas emissions.   

Unfortunately, too many world leaders, national politicians, and media remain committed to continuing coal, natural gas, and oil energy dependence. Necessary planned successful social and environmental responses to global warming temperature increase are essential, many, and varied and involve lives of more than 9 billion people. No nation maintains a viable organization to respond to countering global warming temperature increase. Not in place is the needed central organization to coordinate implementation of identified needed energy, social, and environmental responses.  

For Congress to participate in preventing 2017 exceeding of 'global carbon budget,' Nuclear Regulatory Commission's (NRC's) membership is to be replaced by four senior nuclear specialists and one presidential appointee. Revised scope of revised NRC membership is to include supervisions of U.S. 'Nuclear Fuel Cycle' and rapid expansion of U.S. nuclear energy. Global and U.S. plans for global warming reduction are to be produced by intelligence agencies with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD).

The Future of Global Warming

The progress of global warming and end of human races has been established over the last 250 years through the use of hydrocarbon energy (coal, oil, natural gas). There are only about five years left to change the course of events. If greenhouse gas emissions continue at unacceptable levels a "tipping" point is exceeded around 2030-2040, beyond which there is no turning back, human races can no longer exist.  

If you are under 30-years of age -- you need to act now to correct global warming. Judging by political and media responses to issues of curtailing the threat of global warming, there would appear that few adequately understand catastrophic events. Without changes now, human races are terminated 2050-2055 CE.

Global warming is caused by about 250-years of accumulated human greenhouse gas emissions from hydrocarbon energy (coal, natural gas, and oil). At 2010, greenhouse gas increased above natural global warming of 1750 concentration of carbon dioxide is ~39%. Methane concentration increase is ~164%. These increased concentrations of greenhouse gases increase over time and if left unchecked result in exceeding a defined carbon level in 2030-2040, after which global temperatures rapidly rise. Uncontrollable temperature increase follows with undeniable 2050-2055 end of all human races.  

If global warming is mitigated there is a strong possibility that human life could exist for millions of years.

With necessary global warming mitigations not being attended to -- human life is very short lived. Because human and natural global warming greenhouse gas concentrations previously exceeded critical temperature stabilization “trip points,” after the human race terminal point is reached, no one is around to care about what happens next. Long-term effects on global warming “climate change” are largely "irreversible" for more than millions of years.  

By continually producing hydrocarbon energy infrastructures there results exceeding 'global carbon budget.' Exceeding global catastrophic energy infrastructure conditions are established about 2017. To alter the course of global warming events, there now must quickly be reductions of human and natural greenhouse gases with reductions of hydrocarbon infrastructures.   

About one-third of global warming greenhouse warming results from electrical generation gases emitted by hydrocarbon energy. Decreased hydrocarbon energy use while increasing nuclear electrical energy and increased electrical applications alters the direction of global thermal rise. Nuclear energy is the only clean energy with capacity to curb global warming. To alter the undeniable catastrophic direction, quick reduction of electrical generation hydrocarbon gases is required -- only replacement of hydrocarbon energy with nuclear energy will alter the course of global warming events.        

Understood was the global warming event by the 1960s. For more than a decade the scope and goals of global warming mitigations have been sidetracked by political process of deceit, misrepresentation, and corruption. Since 1970s political reasons, the formation of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Congress limited nuclear to 20% national energy. The 1990s produced political misdirection of official global warming mitigation goals. In 2009 for political reasons, NRC politics shut down Yucca Mountain Nuclear Geologic Repository, which is a vital part of U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle. Political disruption of very critical U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle systems continues: delayed development of MOX fuel, covert political policies, some needless and expensive nuclear regulations, lawsuits, lack of new nuclear site permits, covert special interest political manipulations, media manipulations, etc.  

The current major obstacles to securing a future for human races is President Obama, biased media, and a dedicated small but politically influential coal, natural gas, oil energy interests. For Congress to participate in preventing 2017 exceeding of 'global carbon budget,' NRC membership is to be replaced by four senior nuclear specialists and one presidential appointee. Revised scope of revised NRC membership is to include supervisions of U.S. 'Nuclear Fuel Cycle' and rapid expansion of U.S. nuclear energy. Global and U.S. plans for global warming reduction are to be produced by intelligence agencies with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Natural and human global greenhouse gases are to peak by 2020 and decline thereafter.

Over the coming five years, the least-cost and only global warming option to lowering global warming is by steadily transforming global human energy systems to nuclear energy zero greenhouse gas emissions, which in turn lowers human and natural carbon-cycle gas emissions. Difficult to reduce are Arctic Region's huge amounts of natural methane and carbon emissions that are ocean-current temperature dependent and land surface air temperature dependent. Arctic Region natural methane and carbon emissions form a powerful reinforced positive feedback loop that is directly temperature and regional emissions related, which also results in increased global warming.  

Unfortunately, too many world leaders and national politicians remain committed to continuing hydrocarbon energy dependence. Necessary planned successful social and environmental responses to global warming temperature increase are essential, many, and varied and involve lives of more than 9 billion people. No nation maintains a viable organization to respond to countering global warming temperature increase. Not in place is the needed central organization to coordinate implementation of identified needed energy, social, and environmental responses.

To make change, all one must do is start.

RESULTS OF 250-YEARS OF BUSINESS AS USUAL GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS

Unless there are changes to global human greenhouse gas emissions, all those who are not yet born, and those who are now children and young adults under the age of 30-years, shall die 2050-2055 of global warming, ending the 160 thousand year journey of mankind. Global warming temperature is about +0.8 degrees Celsius above preindustrial temperature of about 250 years ago. Expected is global warming reaches carbon dioxide 450 ppm limit around 2030-2040, after that point Earth changes and temperature increase occurs rapidly and uncontrollably. By exceeding "global carbon budget" with coal, natural gas, and oil emissions, global catastrophic conditions in less than 25-years are established in 2017.

The EU global climate protection target of 450 ppm atmospheric carbon was established by the EU Governments in 1996 and reaffirmed since then by the Environment Council 2003, and European Council, 2005, and 2007. The International Energy Agency (IEA) found we are about five years away from building enough carbon-spewing infrastructures to lock-in a hydrocarbon infrastructure and make it extremely difficult -- if not impossible -- to avoid greatly exceeding 450-ppm carbon dioxide. Global warming carbon “infrastructure lock-in” is around 2017, five-years from 2012. To save human races, nuclear energy electrical generation is to phase out coal, oil, natural gas by 2017. Saving human races task is both time and government funding critical.   

Over the coming five years, the least-cost global warming option is lowering global warming by steadily transforming global human energy-systems to nuclear energy, which lower human/natural greenhouse gases, then lower to zero human emissions. Difficult to reduce are Arctic Region natural methane/carbon levels that are ocean-current temperature dependent and land surface air temperature dependent. Arctic Region natural methane/carbon emissions form a reinforced positive feedback loop that is directly temperature related.

OPPOSITION TO NUCLEAR ENERGY

The world was making progress developing nuclear energy under the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) from 1946 to 1974 -- inexpensive clear nuclear energy was becoming available to drive U.S. industries. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) was formed January 1975 to date.  

Under President Ford (August 9, 1974 to 1977) and President Carter (1977 to 1981) the NRC was politically positioned to oppose and increase the costs of nuclear energy development and impose restrictive nuclear regulations. The covert purpose of NRC membership was to limit nuclear reactor electrical generation and promote coal, natural gas, and oil use. Left Democratic Presidents AND supporting cabals have been and remain the largest obstacles to curbing global warming greenhouse gases and providing for the security of human races.  

The current major obstacles to securing a future for human races is President Obama, silent media, and a dedicated small but politically influential coal, natural gas, oil energy group. For Congress to participate in preventing 2017 exceeding of "global carbon budget," NRC membership is to be replaced by four senior nuclear specialists and one presidential appointee. Revised scope of revised NRC membership is to include supervisions of U.S. 'Nuclear Fuel Cycle' and rapid expansion of U.S. nuclear energy. Global and U.S. plans for global warming reduction are to be produced by intelligence agencies with the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Natural and human global greenhouse gases are to peak by 2020 and decline thereafter.

The clock is ticking, end of human races comes too soon in 2050-2055.     

LAND SUBSIDENCE and GLOBAL WARMING are CASCADE FAILURE MODES

Since infrastructure buildup of 1960s and prior, U.S. political activism has combined with elected self interests blocked further development of U.S water management systems. Due to increased population, increased gross domestic products (GDPs) overdrafting groundwaters/aquifers, global warming climate change, and very active untoward political special interests -- the most chronic global water problem is water-overdraft land subsidence. Unless there are significant and rapid global energy changes, human races end 2050-2055 by 250-years of carbon and methane atmospheric accumulations.

Because of previous and ongoing neglect of care for water cycle and systems for gathering, storing, and distribution of potable water, most of the world will very-likely (ie, have greater than 90% probability) face a severe or greater water shortage.  

Anti science U.S., left Democratic and special interest movements promote social projects, corruption, paybacks, and criminal activity that has undermined public knowledge of scientific reasoning. Having undermined public acceptance of the scientific method and reporting, politicians are then free to create social and environmental problems only politicians can solve. Without a major informative scientific based solutions to systemic physical life and death issues, untoward politicians continue their corruption and disregard of human life.

By intentional benign neglect, media lack of coverage of vital human races issues is criminal.   

CASCADE FAILURE

Cascading failures usually begin when one part of the system fails resulting in complete system failure. Global life support system failures for human survival include: (1) land subsidence and saltwater inundation resulting from underground water drafts and (2) global warming temperature increase. Cascade failures case regional and national water system failures and deadly global warming runaway.

Land Subsidence/Saltwater intrusion - In the case of water source storage capacity, a cascade failure occurs when underground water drafts cause land subsidence collapse. Groundwater/aquifer availability cascade fails result in permanent decreases in stored water, groundwater water flow, and water supplies, which leads to more water overdrafting and less underground water storage and less sustainable water cycle capacity. Saltwater intrusion into groundwater and aquifers is also a cascade failure overdraft problem that destroyed much potable water capacity.  

Global Warming - Global warming temperature increase cascade failures are several, but among the important is Arctic Region warming release of global warming gas methane that leads to more regional (and global) temperature increase.  A greenhouse gas emission "hockey stick" curve identifies a cascade failure mode. Exceeding "global carbon budget" is a cascade failure. Global warming cascade failures are sometimes referred to as exceeding "tipping points."  Exceeding global carbon budget also exceeds established Earth temperature control limits.

Feedback can amplify climatic processes where changing one quantity (the amount of carbon dioxide/methane in the atmosphere) can change a second quantity (rising temperatures on Earth) which in turn changes the first quantity (even more carbon dioxide/methane released). Decrease in potability water availability feedback also occurs with decreased groundwater and aquifer storage capacity.  

Major tipping points for the Earth are greenhouse gas emissions of carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere, global warming leading to severe weather events, polar ice melting and widespread droughts, oceanic acidification and melting permafrost, and dying rain forests that release enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. Very bad things happen when we pass a tipping point. Tipping points are subtle. They are reached in tiny increments each day with no way to measure the exact time or event that pushes a threat into irreversibility. Once that happens, it is cascade failure and difficult or even impossible to reverse the threat as rolling feedbacks strengthen the failure.  

A “bombshell” report by International Energy Agency in late 2011 notes that without positive action now, by 2017 global carbon dioxide emissions are “locked-in” by existing power plants, factories and vehicles that results in exceeding "global carbon cycle." Rising hydrocarbon (coal, oil, natural gas) energy use will lead to irreversible and catastrophic global warming and all human races death.

SUBSURFACE WATER

When you deplete groundwater stored and water mine aquifers -- you have run out of potable water. Regions and human races are living on borrowed time when they overdraft underground water. There are no capable central authorities authorized to correct surface and subsurface water issues.    

It is transfer of groundwater and aquifer mining that results in ground subsidence, which results in permanent compression of ground-structure and decrease in essential water storage capacity. Over time, because of population growth, increased gross domestic products (GDPs), increased global water demands, and not properly manage underground water resources, their results in essential UNDERGROUND WATER STORAGE-CAPACITY that quickly diminish, becomes very critically limited, which leads to cascade water failure modes.      

Exceeding of maximum sustainable water yield -- Knowledge of underground water is paramount in sustaining water supplies for drinking, agriculture, and industry. When pumping from an aquifer extracts water faster than it can be recharged, the system is out of equilibrium, and the water table will continue to drop until recharge increases or pumping decreases. The groundwater/aquifer is said to be in overdraft. Maximum sustainable yield refers to the maximum use that a renewable resource can sustain without impairing its renewability through natural growth or replenishment. Enhanced maximum sustainable can use artificial recharge methods to increase annual water yield.  

As part of the water cycle, underground water sources produce flow of rivers, streams, and lakes. Where surface water, such as lakes and rivers, are scarce, inaccessible, or water cycle has changed. It is groundwater, aquifer supplies that provides water needs of people. Groundwater and aquifer depletion, a term often defined as long-term water-level declines caused by sustained underground water pumping, is a key issue associated with underground water use. Too many areas of the U.S. are experiencing groundwater/aquifer depletion that have exceeded maximum sustainable water limits.

Excessive pumping can overdraw the groundwater "bank account" -- Increased demands on groundwater resources have overstressed aquifers in many areas of the world, not just in arid regions. Pumping water out of the ground faster than it is replenished is exceeding maximum sustainable water yield and over years causes water supply problems.

In response to over pumping, volume of groundwater in storage is decreasing in many areas of the U.S. and global water supplies. Groundwater depletion is primarily caused by sustained groundwater over pumping. Some of the negative effects of groundwater depletion:

o  Lowering of the water table

o  Increased costs for the user

o  Reduction of water in streams, rivers, and lakes resulting from human induced water cycle changes.

o  Increased groundwater and aquifer saltwater inundation.

o  Land subsidence - Land subsidence occurs when large amounts of groundwater have been withdrawn from certain types of rocks, such as fine-grained sediments. The rock compacts because the water is partly responsible for holding the ground up. When the water is withdrawn, the rocks falls in on itself, prominently removing underground water storage capacity. You may not notice land subsidence because it can occur over large areas (thousands of square kilometers) rather than in a small spot, like a sinkhole. That does not mean that subsidence is not a big event -- states like California, Texas, and other states have suffered extensive land subsidence permanent damage.

o  Deterioration of water quality

o  Depletion of water resources

o  Permanent loss of below ground storage capacity

o  Increased need for water desalination facilities. Water desalination technology is mature and is unlikely to decrease desalination energy demands, decrease construction and operating costs, or adequately augment natural water cycle.  

Groundwater depletion, or excessive removal of subsurface water, results in land subsidence and is most often caused by human activities. Basic cause of land subsidence is a loss of support structures below ground and permanent loss of below ground storage capacity.

Social divergence of 1960s stopped many national water projects. It needs to be understood restarting water projects to match existing water conditions take at least two decades. It does take more than one decade to design, fund, and construct new water facilities to meet current needs. Add to that it can take more than one decade for collection and distribution of gathered available surface water. To meet future water needs -- increase funding and increase size of projects. By the time necessary water augmentation is in place, the water crisis has grown to a water catastrophe. U.S. Congress needs to act now.

Mining Water -- Mining is the extraction of a substance of value from the earth such as water or oil, natural gas, etc. Groundwater overdraft and aquifer water-mining are most important water problems in the world. Because land subsidences is easily measurable with satellites, satellite alterminitor recordings are to be used as a metric to evaluate global and regional water safe yield levels and identify water sustainability problem areas.   

Fossil water - Fossil water mining is now common self destructive practice. Fossil water or paleowater is groundwater that has remained sealed in an aquifer for a long period of time. Water can rest underground in "fossil aquifers" for thousands or even millions of years. Changes in the surrounding geology sealed aquifers from further replenishing from precipitation, the water becomes trapped within, and is known as fossil water. Removing water from aquifers that do not adequately replenish is called "water-mining," once mined that natural non-replenished water resource is gone forever. However, there are artificial methods to recharge some aquifers. Along with running out of water sustainable yield, water mining can result in ground subsidence.

Ground Subsidence - When groundwater and/or aquifers are overdrafted there occurs ground subsidence (ie, a lowering of ground level caused by compression resulting from, in this case, excessive below ground water withdrawal). The overdraft of such aquifer systems results in permanent subsidence. That is, permanent decrease in underground storage and in related ground failures.

Drafting Coastal Aquifers - Drafting coastal aquifer and delta water systems can result in permanent saltwater inundated from ocean water into potable underground water channels. Quality of potable underground waters are permanently destroyed by infusion of ocean saltwater and below ground water migrations. Compounding problems of coastal aquifer equilibrium is a projected 3.2-feet (1-meter) sea level rise by 2099.   

Much of the world's population is located near coastal areas. Many of the world's coasts are becoming increasingly urban. In fact, 14 of the world's 17 largest cities are located along coasts, including, Bangkok, Jakarta, and Shanghai and lesser California Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Monterey Bay area. In addition, two-fifths of cities with populations of 1 million to 10 million people are located near coastlines. The urbanization of coasts brings with it coastal development (including demands for fresh water and sewage treatment), damage to coastal ecosystems, and extensive damage to subsurface water systems.

Coastal aquifers tend to have wedge shaped zones of saltwater underlying the potable freshwater. Under natural conditions the boundary between the freshwater and saltwater tends to be relatively stable, but pumping can cause saltwater to migrate inland, resulting in permanent saltwater contamination of the water supply. Continued drafting of contaminated water sources accelerates water supply degeneration.   

Migration of natural "pollutants" due to drafting underground water occurs within some regions. Inland aquifers can experience similar saline/fresh water boundary problems when withdrawal of good-quality water from upper parts of inland aquifers can allow underlying saline water to move upward, which permanently degrades water source quality.

Because subground seawater salinity and natural contaminants migrations are easily satellite measurable, land altitude is used as a metric to help evaluate global and regional water safe yield levels and identify water sustainability problem areas.

Land Subsidence -- More than 80 percent of subsidence within U.S. is related to the withdrawal of below ground water.  

LAND SUBSIDENCE IS A PERMANENT WATER SYSTEM CASCADE FAILURE MODE.

IT IS VERY CRITICAL THAT GROUNDWATER AND AQUIFERS NO LONGER BE OVERDRAFTED. TO STOP GROUND SUBSIDENCE AND SALTWATER INUNDATION, ESTABLISH GROUNDWATER REPLENISHMENT (GWR) SYSTEMS AND PROPER WATER SUPPLY AUGMENTATION.  

Land subsidence from water drafting has documented damaged roads, sewer lines, flood-retention structures, water pipes, and many other types of infrastructure. However, little has been presented to estimate regional and global water losses. There is a need for increased satellite reporting of the growing problem of land subsidence due to belowground water pumping.  

Land subsidence and saltwater inundation play an increasing detrimental role in the management of water resources for a population prior to 2050-2055 that exceeds 9-billion people dying from global warming temperature increase.     

Alluvial Plains -- The type of sediment deposits cause some critical water resources being drafted and experiencing permanent land subsidence are in alluvial plains. An alluvial plain is a largely flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time (millions of years) by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms. Examples of alluvium planes are many:  o Padan plain (Po basin or Pianura Padana), Italy, area of 17,756 mile square (46,000 kilometer square  o Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region, California, USA area 1,100 miles square (2,849 kilometer square)  o etc.

California's critical Central Valley (area of approximately 22,500 miles square (58,275 kilometers square)) is formed by loose sediment alluvial deposits that are easily subjected to land subsidence from underground water overdrafting. Once the land subsides, under soils collapses, and groundwater storage capacity is permanently reduced. Water management is completely ignored by the politics of California Department of Water Resources Board, State Legislature leadership, California Secretary for Natural Resources, Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), and other political special interests.       

Manage Water Resources -- It can take 20-30 years to significantly change water supply resources -- if timely change is to occur, you better start now.

Lack of analyzing national water resources and water cycle as a whole has led to critical national and multinational water mismanagement. To publicly provide for current and projected water needs, it is critical to know, understand, and respond to regional/global water-cycle supply capacity, rate of water uses, projected long-term climate changes, and rate of loss of underground water storage capacity.   

U.S. water management politicians hope that there does not come a long drought. Of course politicians do not provide necessary water resource changes -- they just hope and delay responses.

A decade-long drought in the Colorado River Basin, which has lowered Lake Mead water supply to Hoover Dam by more than 120 feet from its high-water mark. Hoover Dam could stop generating electricity by 2013, if water levels in Lake Mead continue to drop 10 feet per year, and go below the level needed to supply generators. When Hoover Dam stops generating electricity, traditionally U.S. greenhouse gas emissions of hydrocarbon (coal, oil, natural gas) has replaced hydroelectric energy.  

According to United States Geological Survey, significant groundwater depletions have occurred in High Plains water basins (including Ogallala Aquifer) of the Midwest, many areas in the Southwest (AZ, CA, NM, NV, and TX), the Sparta Aquifer in the Southeast (AR, LA, and MS), and in the Chicago-Milwaukee area (where long-term pumping has lowered groundwater levels by as much as 900 feet in the sandstone aquifer underlying the Chicago area and eastern Wisconsin). Studies estimate that current groundwater overdrafts in Arizona total 2.5 million international acre foot (3,084 meter-squared) per year, approximately 50% in excess of maximum sustainable yield. A Kansas Geological Survey study projects that significant regions of that state will have exhausted their groundwater supplies by 2025. In some areas of Nebraska, groundwater levels have fallen almost 30 feet (9.1 meters) below normal.

Colorado River flow has a 50 percent chance of going dry by 2021, which has impacts upon 25 million people. Congress has yet to address issues of Colorado River flow that result in decreased Hoover Dam water output and reduced electrical generation. High Plains will dry up in as little as 25 years, leaving High Plains aquifers high-and-dry in eight states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas (major areas for food production and major political corn ethanol production region).

High Plains aquifers are among the world's largest aquifers, it covers an area of approximately 174,000 miles square (450,658 kilometer square) in portions of the eight states of South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Texas. The saturated thickness of the Ogallala Aquifer has declined by over 50 percent in some areas (reported aquifer level declines of over 100 feet (30.5 meter) between 1950 and 1997). For political reasons, lack of public reporting of Ogallala Aquifer water resource problems is chronic since 2007.  

Close to a quarter of available water in the Texas Ogallala had been pumped out by 1980 and large portions of Ogallala Aquifer are overdrafted as true water mining operations. Almost all U.S. central and southern Ogallala Aquifer would be unable to run center-pivot irrigation by 2020, producing a permanent major global food source collapse. Further subsurface water storage gains are possible by Groundwater Recharge (GWR) of groundwater basins with rainfall runoff that normally flows to sea. Nevada-Utah and Rocky Mountain north to Alaska water should also be considered as a GWR water sources for the depleting High Plains aquifer.

Pacific Northwest groundwater development of the Columbia River Basalt aquifer of Washington and Oregon has caused water-level declines. Desert Southwest increased groundwater pumping to support population growth in south-central Arizona (including the Tucson and Phoenix areas) has resulted in water-level declines of between 300 and 500 feet (91-152 meter) in much of the area. Land subsidence was first noticed in the 1940s and subsequently as much as 12.5 feet (3.8 meter) of subsidence has been measured. In 1999, Las Vegas, Nevada, was the fastest growing municipal area in the United States. In places, groundwater levels have declined 300 feet (91 meter).  

Since development began on the vast Florida Everglades in the late 19th century, damage has been rampant with the draining of swamp land, the erection of dikes, dams and canals, and the intrusion of farms and development that have polluted with fertilizers, runoff, and groundwater/aquifer depletion. Plans to restore the Everglades will fail because turning back the environment clock on a large scale environment project is very expensive and close to impossible. The best that can be hoped for are projects to mitigate (or accommodate) environment change. Only time will tell how successful are attempts to curb patterns of human destruction

Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is where California's two largest rivers Sacramento River and San Joaquin River come together, carrying runoff from the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Central Valley, and on to San Francisco Bay. Since 1960s, untoward special interests control California water allocations through control of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region and politics of California Department of Water Resources Board. California water is controlled by a covey of politically controlled convoluted water "authorities" and self appointed water/environment vigilantes.   

Pressure on water resources is important in Spain, Italy, and Turkey because of the very large acreage under irrigation. Like the U.S., large escalation in groundwater extractions has been driven by the falling costs of pumping technologies in areas with profitable irrigated crops. In contrast to large collective irrigation systems, for political self interest reasons -- private groundwater extractions are not subject to much control by water administrations.

China warned February 2011 that major agricultural regions were facing their worst drought in 60 years. In Italy, pervasive aquifer overdraft and water quality problems are located in the Po basin, Romagna and Puglia, and in the coastal plains of Campania, Calabria, Sicily, and Sardinia. These regions do not have problems of water scarcity, but rather of water quality. Water pricing will not solve scarcity or improve quality in the more degraded areas, because rising water prices would reduce consumption in large irrigation districts of inland Spain or southern Italy.   

There is little evidence that long-term droughts are not "new norms" within the Colorado River basin, Texas, California, China, Italy, and nuclear armed Pakistan/India Punjab alluvial plain water agreements, and other parts of the world. The only path to correct long-term water issues is proper management of surface and subsurface water convenience and groundwater storage.

Water Management -- Global warming climate change predicts that rainfall will become increasingly erratic, with rain coming in big storms separated by longer dry stretches. If the U.S. has a High Plains and California longer-term drought, U.S. and global food supply systems would be crippled.

To prevent the effects of long-term droughts, underground water long-term storage must be enhanced. When rain falls it must be surface short-term stored and transferred to long-term aquifer storage for later dry years.

To use water resources properly are: Conjunctive Water Management and Groundwater Recharge (GWR):  

Conjunctive Water Management -- Conjunctive water management is used to improve water supply reliability, to reduce groundwater overdraft and land subsidence, to protect water quality, and to improve environmental conditions.

Groundwater Recharge (GWR) -- Groundwater recharge is the movement of surface water from the land surface, through the topsoil and subsurface, and into de-watered aquifer space.  Recharge occurs naturally from precipitation falling on the land surface, from water stored in lakes, and from creeks and rivers carrying storm runoff. There are at least 15 methods available for groundwater replenishment (GWR) recharge of underground water saturation zones and prevent land subsidence. Water augmentation is supplying water from other sources for GWR and additional water resource uses. For political self interest reasons, GWR systems are under utilized within the U.S. and many other parts of the world.    

Recharge also occurs when water is placed into constructed recharge ponds (also called spreading basins), when water is injected into the subsurface by wells, and when water is released into creeks and rivers beyond what occurs from the natural hydrology (for example, by releases of imported water).   

Significant amounts of recharge can also occur either intentionally or incidentally from applied irrigation water and from water placed into unlined conveyance facilities.  

Groundwater banking is a subset of GWR water replenishment systems. Groundwater banking is the recharge (often of imported surface water or local floodwater) into de-watered aquifer space for later recovery and use or exchange with others.  

Use all resources available to prevent land subsidence and saltwater intrusions resulting from underground water drafting.  

Water Reporting - National, state, and regional water reporting has often been manipulated to promote corruption of political and special interests.  

Global warming will cause drought and forest fires turning regions into a large source of carbon dioxide that feeds back to create more warming. Secondly, a warmer atmosphere holds more water vapor, which increases the intensity of other extremes of the water cycle, such as heavy rains, punishing storms and flooding (as in 2011).

California 1970 population was 20.0 million and in 2010 was increased by 86.5% to 37.3 million. Little if any water planning to accommodate future demands has occurred since 1960s, after conservatives were removed from election cycles. Since 1960s-1970s, untoward politicians and special interests have dismantled science and central authority functions, diverted funding, while authority of special interest groups subdivided among themselves water responsibility and accountability to enhance untoward political control of critical water resources. Politicians use "divide and conquer" state and regional water authorities for untoward special interest control of water.

It is easier to corrupt a regional politically divided authority than corrupt a central scientific authority that has real authority and knows what it is doing. Divide and conquers is mostly imposed by legislation and political funding strategies. Since 2007 left Democrats took control of U.S. House, Senate, and government functions, public access to water information has been rewritten or withdrawn from internet access. Water and water information is ignored by media and is extensively controlled by political special interests.     

Unless changed, land subsidence and saltwater inundation from drafting regional water DOES destroy global central water storage and distribution systems and all other water cycle supply systems. Science can support informed decisions on global warming, water, environmental issues, and sustainable life issues. However, it is politicians who make decisions (or not). To date, politicians base their decisions upon self political interests.   

GLOBAL WARMING TEMPERATURE INCREASE

All species, including humans, have their own tipping point for survival and are threatened by seasonal changes, severe weather, and loss of habitat and global warming temperature increase.

For more than a decade the scope and goals of global warming mitigations have been sidetracked by political process of deceit, misrepresentation, and corruption. Nuclear energy is the only clean energy with capacity to curb global warming. Since 1970s and formation of U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Congress has limited nuclear to 20% national energy. The 1990s produced misdirection of official global warming mitigation goals. In 2009, NRC shut down Yucca Mountain Nuclear Geologic Repository, which is a vital part of U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle. Additional disruption of very critical U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle systems were produced and has established that the U.S. is to continue its hydrocarbon energy use past 2017 point of 'global carbon cycle carbon budget' abilities. By 2030-2040, the +2 degree Centigrade limit is exceeded. Uncontrollable temperature increase follows with a undeniable 2050-2055 end of all human races.

About one-third of global warming greenhouse warming results from electrical generation gases emitted by hydrocarbon (coal, oil, and natural gas) energy. NRC members have always been representatives for antinuclear and pro hydrocarbon corrupt political self interests movements. It is through Congressional left Democrat member activity that global clean nuclear energy was sidetracked to make room for "renewable energy" waste, fraud, and corruption promotion of wind, solar, ethanol, and carbon cap-and-trade. Congress first legislated U.S. "green energy" push with Energy Policy Act (EPAct 1992) and with later Acts.

By late 1990s, special interest politics took over structure of global warming technological reporting. UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports of post 2001 improperly ignored natural methane as a important global warming gas and sliced-diced reports to add confusion and non viable options that obfuscated understanding global warming. IPCC documents now need revisions to present projected reality. In reality, there are only two viable global warming case studies: (1) greenhouse gas emissions "business as usual" and (2) case study that attempts to save human races.           

By 2003, increased political promotion of energy waste, fraud, corruption (while promoting wind, solar, green energy, ethanol, and carbon cap-and-trade) became the priority global warming response of left Democratic systems. Also around 2003 was another push for political social transformation of public housing. Because it was popular with his political base, President Obama spearheaded alternatives to energy and has made several efforts to shutdown global and U.S. Nuclear Fuel Cycle. Under current political conditions, it could take up to a decade to restart significant U.S. nuclear electrical generation.

U.S. and global anti nuclear sentiment and stalling of nuclear industry development is a direct result of U.S. political self interests of hydrocarbon energy sector. To save all humanity, there is little time left to inform public of vital needs to rapidly expand nuclear energy. It is combined natural methane and human carbon levels that produces global warming. Nuclear energy is the only energy source that might reduce human carbon emissions. Natural methane emissions can only be reduced by reducing global temperatures.        

Colleges and universities who for decades have promoted failed Communism and failed alternatives to energy have lost many years of student instructions. Education is now not helping resolving global warming issues. Those educational institutions are more interested in the politics of keeping flow of government grants and funds than they are concerned about saving doomed lives of their students.  

Once the carbon parts per million (ppm) concentration within the atmosphere tips over a magic number that no one so far exactly knows (but some say is carbon content between 350-450 ppm), then positive regenerative feedback assures there will be no global warming relief. If global warming greenhouse gas level exceed "the trip point," a thermo cascade failure occurs, even if all human carbon release activities would just stop, such as shutting down transportation, power plants, and industry.  

GLOBAL WARMING IS A CORRECTABLE GLOBAL TEMPERATURE SYSTEM CASCADE FAILURE MODE. IF NOT NOW QUICKLY CORRECTED, GLOBAL WARMING IS FATAL TO ALL HUMAN RACES 2050-2055.  

At historical trends of natural and human global warming greenhouse gas increase, human races termination from global warming is 2050-2099, but most likely termination is 2050-2055. Resulting from natural Arctic Region methane release and 250-years of human hydrocarbon emissions. Without rapid natural and human global warming greenhouse gas emission changes, and considering methane increases, expected is zero-years to forty-years remaining for human races existence.    

Starting from 2012, over the coming next five years, least-cost global warming option is lowering global warming by steadily transforming global human hydrocarbon energy systems to clean nuclear energy; lower human/natural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; and then over time lower to zero human GHG emissions. Difficult to reduce are increasing Arctic Region natural methane levels that are ocean current temperature dependent and land surface-air temperature dependent. Arctic Region natural vast methane emissions form a reinforced positive feedback loop that is directly proportional to temperature (ie, huge stores of Arctic methane release form a positive regenerative cascade failure mode).

Core global warming task is to reduce global energy share of coal, natural gas, and petroleum, to be replaced nationally and globally with hydrocarbon free nuclear and hydroelectric energy. Molecule to molecule -- nuclear energy is the most intense carbon-free energy source available -- no other available energy source has the capacity to effect decrease in global warming temperature increase. How quickly nuclear energy is expanded to replace hydrocarbon energy determines if the human races can be saved over time.

Expansion of nuclear electrical generation is the only realistic global warming temperature reduction method available within the time frame necessary to make a difference. Additional uses of nuclear energy are to be further explored.

Carbon-free hydroelectric energy expansion is limited by available dam site locations. Dam sites and dam locations need expansion to accommodate both expansion of hydroelectricity to counter human greenhouse gas emissions and provide expanded surface water storage for water augmentation of groundwater replenishment (GWR) recharge for underground water saturation zones.  

U.S. national energy policies and global energy policies are in long-term political disarray and unable to meet needs of curbing global warming temperature increase. Other than U.S. military and intelligence agencies, there is no political leadership or empowered organization existing who are capable of planning what it takes to timely alter the rate of global warming. As soon as possible, existing U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) membership is to be replaced by four senior nuclear specialists and one presidential appointee. Revised scope of revised NRC membership is to include supervisions of U.S. 'Nuclear Fuel Cycle' and rapid expansion of U.S. nuclear energy. Global and U.S. plans for global warming reduction are to be produced by U.S. intelligence agencies and U.S. Department of Defense (DOD). Natural and human greenhouse gases are to peak by 2020 and decline thereafter.