Green lawns could lead to brownouts

[Lone_Star_Dem]

HOUSTON (CNNMoney.com) -- Whisky is for drinkin', water is for fightin'.

It's a saying from the Old West, but one invoked Thursday when talking about electricity at Cambridge Energy Research Associates' annual energy conference in Houston.

Power generation takes water. Pumping water takes power. As the nation struggles to meet electricity demand - expected to surge 50% in the next 30 years - big sections of the country are suffering from drought conditions.

"We're going to have both water and power shortages, maybe in areas where we aren't used to them," said Peter Gleick, President of the Pacific Institute, an environmental research organization. "Atlanta in the last few years is a good example of that."

Most people don't realize how closely power and water are linked.

In California, the water pumps that keep the Los Angeles area hydrated are the single largest users of power in the state, according to Gleick. Running a hot water faucet there for five minutes uses as much energy as keeping a 60-watt light bulb on for 14 hours, he said.

More at link: http://money.cnn.com/2008/02/14/news/companies/water_power/index.htm?postversion=2008021511

[MISSDem]

1. People do not want to hear it.

Many want to water their huge, grass only lawns, fill their pools, etc. This is, of course, not to mention the vast amounts of water that it takes to raise animals for food. The number one way to help avert global warming is to be a vegetarian. This is an inconvenient truth even Al Gore doesn't talk about.