Let's take a leap for Leap Year.
The aforementioned paper, appearing in the current issue of Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology, was sent to me by Dr. James Butler of the Kansas Geological Survey. Jim and I both graduated (geology) from the College of William and Mary (he is much younger) and obtained advanced degrees in water fields (Jim from Stanford University and me from the University of Arizona). His article (with Carey Johnson) struck a chord with me. Below is a synopsis of the current issue by Editor Samuel L. Adams (PDF). Download Adams-2023-editorial.
First, James Butler and Carey Johnson apply their expertise in hydrology to the water crisis in the United States. Specifically, they examine the depletion of aquifers in Kansas and the generational inequities that can result from overconsumption. With fascinating and comprehensive detail, Butler and Johnson show the perils of excessive pumping for agricultural purposes, and they provide clear suggestions for reform, including clergy involvement in facilitating change.
I will provide a taste of Jim's and Carey's paper. I found it quite stimulating and thought-provoking.
Abstract
The continuing depletion of the world’s aquifers has given rise to a profound intergenerational inequity, as prospects for future generations have been diminished through the actions of the current and earlier ones. We explore what can be done to confront this depletion-induced inequity, propose a theological framework that supports efforts to address it, and consider possible roles that the pastoral community could play in charting paths to a more sustainable future.
Keywords
Aquifer Depletion; Intergenerational Inequity; Stewardship; Irrigated Agriculture; Pumping Reductions; Groundwater Management; Sustainability; High Plains Aquifer
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it, for he has founded it on the seas and established it on the rivers. (Ps 24:1–2) Water is the most critical resource issue of our lifetime and our children’s lifetime. The health of our waters is the principal measure of how we live on the land. - Luna Leopold
Introduction
Water is an essential substance for humanity. It exists in various forms, but some are more difficult to access than others. One of water’s most useful forms is as groundwater residing in aquifers (geologic formations that readily yield water to wells). Often of high quality, suitable for drinking and irrigating crops, water in aquifers across the globe has become an important source for agricultural use and human consumption. Many aquifers, however, are under great stress after decades of intensive pumping amid ongoing climate change. Although the majority of aquifers were relatively untapped until the middle of the last century, many are now in danger of being depleted before 2100. Given that the major use of groundwater is for supporting irrigated agriculture, the consequences of that depletion for global food supplies could be significant.
This continuing depletion of the world’s aquifers has given rise to a profound intergenerational inequity, as prospects for future generations have been diminished through the actions of the current generation and its predecessors. This essay will explore what can be done to confront this depletion-induced inequity and to encourage clergy and their congregations to consider what role they can play in the face of this global challenge. We address these issues in the context of one of the world’s largest and most important aquifers, the High Plains Aquifer (HPA) of the central United States.
The essay begins with a brief primer on groundwater, after which the focus turns to water management in the High Plains Aquifer in the state of Kansas to illustrate the intricate challenges that groundwater depletion can present. We describe conditions in the aquifer, the inequity that over-pumping has produced, and the vexing complexities that hinder efforts to improve prospects for the aquifer and for those who will live on the overlying land in the coming decades. We then identify critical elements that should be part of attempts to address this inequity, regardless of location. The essay concludes with consideration of a theological framework that supports efforts to address this inequity and possible roles that faith communities can play in charting paths to a more sustainable future.
Conclusions
The desire to ensure that future generations have a better situation than our own has long been a constant of the human condition. The aquifer depletion shown in Figure 1 demonstrates that this concern needs to come to the fore in western Kansas. The contradiction between the professed desire to extend the aquifer lifespan to benefit future generations and the unwillingness/hesitation to adopt the measures that are required to realize that goal has impeded progress. However, there are glimmers of hope. In many of the conservation areas in western Kansas, participants state that a prime motivation has been the desire to save the resource and the lifestyle that it enables for future generations. This desire is also reflected in surveys of irrigators in western Kansas. The key question is how to channel that aspiration, which is undoubtedly not isolated to irrigators in western Kansas, into actions that will lead to more sustainable aquifer futures. The pastoral community could play a valuable role in this context.
We end with a final question that haunts us: how will future generations view us? We fear that they will ask what we were thinking by continuing business as usual when the outcome and ramifications for future generations were clear. Our only response to this question from the future is to try to chart a more responsible path going forward. Conditions in the High Plains aquifer in western Kansas have been characterized as “The hour is late, but all is not lost,” a phrase that undoubtedly rings true for many heavily stressed aquifers. Thus, across the globe, we must recognize that the time for handwringing is over; we need to move forward with realistic measures to make a difference for us and our descendants. We strongly encourage faith communities to join in this effort, as the world needs all the help that its inhabitants can muster.
Here is the article:
Download Butler-johnson-2023-groundwater-depletion-a-global-challenge-for-intergenerational-equity
Enjoy!
“To make science the arbiter of metaphysics is to banish not only God from the world but also love, hate, meaning”
― When Breath Becomes Air
“Gravity explains the motions of the planets, but it cannot explain who sets the planets in motion.” ―
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