By Brett Walton, Circle of Blue
Coastal dead zones, toxic algal blooms, dry river deltas, decimated salmon runs. There is no shortage of terrible water news. But that’s only half the story, argues scientist and author Sandra Postel.
“Yes, the water cycle is broken,” Postel writes in her new book Replenish. “But one river, one wetland, one city, one farm at a time, we can begin to fix it.”
Postel acknowledges severe pressures on the world’s water, but she does not dwell on the negatives. Instead she finds widespread examples of adaptation and new thinking, from watersheds in the American West to cities in China. In her exploration, she connects water sustainability to the health of soil, forests, and wetlands.
Circle of Blue reporter Brett Walton spoke with Postel about her hopeful vision of water’s future.