As a retirement present to myself, I planned a desert immersion for mid-winter. A double major in college with human service on one side and environmental studies on the other, I needed re-entry to the natural world. It didn’t disappoint.
With a friend willing to take the plunge with me, first came an expedition with National Geographic on a small ship exploring marine life and whales in their winter breeding grounds around the Baja peninsula.
Given strict COVID protocols, all shore excursions to towns were replaced with wilderness hikes, which was fine by me.
Kayaking, snorkeling and trips with local operators licensed for panga tours to visit whales up close were the norm. Pangas are open, steep-hulled boats about 19-20 feet long, low to the water and able to handle wavy waters well.
The latter part of the trip was in Arizona and New Mexico visiting a grandson near Phoenix, friends in Sedona and a Navajo friend on the reservation.
The different locations gave varied looks at desert living. Blatant commonalities were worries about water and temperature.
The Baja struggles for water. Locals expressed frustration initiating crops only to have them wiped out by drought. The rise in tourism is welcomed and cause for concern in terms of impact on the local ecosystem and water supply.
The buying of coastline by foreign operators and resultant green, lush, high-end resorts stand in stark contrast with the native landscape. Limited water makes difficult choices.
Desalination efforts, on the rise, aren’t seen as the panacea. They’re highly expensive, require extensive energy to run, and produce large amounts of brine as a waste product, which is often dumped on beaches. The impact on the ecosystem is unstudied.
Arizona’s deserts and red rock canyons never fail to impress. Water has always been a challenge there. We could take a lesson in conservation from the Navajo.
Remote and solitary living is common on the reservation, the need for water conservation severe. With no water readily available, homes are often built over a water bladder. A weekly pilgrimage to get water is routine, usually in the family truck, also equipped with a water bladder.
My friend lives very remotely. She trucks in water herself for her and her adult son, as well as for chickens, geese, turkeys, sheep and dogs. Water is labor intensive, and use is well-planned.
From the warmer Phoenix area to higher elevation Sedona, to higher yet elevation at the northern Arizona/New Mexico border, 2021 was a year of records.
In August, 90 percent of the West was in drought. A dense map of hundreds of record-breaking temperature locations shows central states like Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas with record-breaking lows. The western desert and mountain states show dense areas of record highs from Arizona to Washington. This is a serious generational concern.
The Nature Conservancy’s chief scientist Katherine Hayhoe points out, “Throughout human civilization, the average temperature of the Earth has varied by no more than a few tenths of a degree.”
Once taken for granted, that stability no longer exists. Temperatures are already up 2 degrees Fahrenheit and estimated to rise to 2.7 degrees within the next two decades.
Hayhoe adds, “Earth is now running a fever with scientists agreeing the global temperature increase is human caused.”
Since the Industrial Revolution, we’ve been burning more coal, gas and oil, with emissions creating a heat blanket over the planet responsible for 75 percent of our climate problem. Additionally, continued deforestation is destroying Earth’s natural cooling agent: trees.
In desert states, water resources are fed by snow melt in mountains, diverted rivers and lakes, or groundwater reserves. These are finite and declining. In January, the first ever federal water cuts were scheduled to start in Arizona and Nevada.
So where is hope?
It’s found in increasing public awareness and support for change. Nature is resilient if given a chance.
Robert Kunzig, National Geographic’s environment editor, finds inspiration in unheralded efforts around the globe. After an article on the lack of shade in poorer urban communities, he learned of young people in Los Angeles taking on projects to plant and nourish trees where there are none.
In schools, science fairs focus on environmental competitions. A sixth grade team from Texas won national recognition for their work on how to put carbon back into soil.
On a macro level, Kunzig adds further encouragement, “… during COVID in 2020, 90 percent of new energy installed around the world was clean energy.”
We must not view this as out of our control. We all can make a difference.