What if [the trend] isn't a short-term situation, but persists for decades or centuries?
@dclr42 Which trend would that be?
@trinsec Take your pick! Climate change, decreasing product availability, nationalism, etc. Apply the question to each- to whatever trend you're hoping will just go away- and consider what it would mean if it didn't go away.
@dclr42 Hehe, all the ones you listed are definitely long term trends. Nothing new though? They're already known as long term ones I'd have thought.
@trinsec Depends on who you ask. I was listening to a radio report on the drought conditions in the American West, and they made the statement, "Don't let the recent rains deceive you." So often people look at short-term or one-off events and interpret them as long-term or part of a pattern. "It rained! The drought is over! We don't have to worry about the Colorado River or Lake Mead or whether Las Vegas is going to be inhabitable in 100 years!"
@trinsec I've heard the drought is natural, but exacerbated by human activity (particularly the Colorado River shortages and aquifer subsidence). People want quick and easy solutions, and it's even better if problems just go away. I raised the question today to encourage people to think in a different direction.
I'm sure New Vegas will be a lovely place to visit, if you can avoid the radscorpions.
@dclr42 From what I understand, the drought in the American West is largely caused by humans, mostly by the farming industry. Even if they change their dumb rules about water management overnight, I'm sure it'd probably take over a decade to recover... 😬
Nothing is going to be short term at this rate.. I know what you mean though. Maybe people are grasping at straws of hope. I think people need to be educated better about this in general.
That said, Las Vegas is definitely going to be uninhabitable in 100 years. It'll be renamed to New Vegas and the currency will be bottle caps. 😋