Rewriting History: From Bad Math to Reasons for Optimism on the Colorado River

The story of water management in the Western United States is epitomized by the Colorado River. Water managers in the early twentieth century set up structures and policies that would have implications for tens of millions of users across multiple states and countries — and all based upon faulty math. How have the systems and infrastructure along the Colorado River impacted development? How is climate change coming into play? And are there reasons for hope that the story of conflict and mismanagement can become a story of cooperation? In this episode of ClimateReady we are joined by John Fleck, a renowned author, science journalist, and Director of the University of New Mexico’s Water Resources Program. We cover a range of topics relating to the Colorado River from transboundary management, to balancing competing water demands, to the role of storytelling in developing good water governance. All of this and more can be found in his new book “Science Be Dammed: How Ignoring Inconvenient Science Drained the Colorado River” (https://uapress.arizona.edu/book/science-be-dammed). We wrap up with another “Climate of Hope” story as part of an ongoing collaboration with the World Youth Parliament for Water. Juliane Schillinger talks about the growing voice of scientists in political movements as a result of the climate crisis and the benefits of stepping out of the “ivory tower.”