Letter: Most valuable land

Our house sits on 1.5-acres in a rural subdivision. More houses will soon be built as more land is to be developed. This land represents our little piece of the planet because when we bought the lot in 1977, the world’s population was about four billion. Shortly after November, the world’s population should pass 8 billion. By the end of this decade 8.5 billion is probable. Twenty more years will add 1.2 billion more. By the end of the century the world’s population could reach 12 billion. See why we value our little piece of the planet?

The United States will grow from today’s 340 million-to-nearly 500 million by mid-century and possibly 750 million in 2100. Why are projections higher than what will probably happen? Climate change will reduce the population because of starvation and thirst. Here we will see major disruptions as those people who live in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Utah, Nevada and Oklahoma are going to be looking for water.

When a futurist looks at food production they will want to see where the cattle are raised and the vegetables, fruit and nuts are grown. California is already reducing water for crops and orchards. A cow requires over 10 gallons of water per day. California is a major dairy producer. Tens of thousands of acres of alfalfa hay are required to feed them and most of it is on irrigated ground.

See why we value our little piece of the world? - Chuck Johnson, Morris