Water

The four great early civilizations grew beside rivers rather than by the sea. The rivers changed with the seasons in a helpful and predictable way. People felt they had some control. Nowadays, as well as asking rivers to irrigate our fields we want them to give energy to power our comforts, and safely so. Here's the job of the civil engineer - making concentrations of people (civilization) viable and materially pleasant. And therefore, here on the right, is the water of the Indus River today, in full harness.

Now there is not enough clean water left to sustain the unbridled discretionary consumption of dense populations seeking luxury. Even with a cascade of dams on most rivers, there is a shortage of fresh water to fill swimming pools and keep lawns green in the desert. Worse yet, we have recklessly mined the fossil reserves of water nature hoarded underground over geological ages. After mining it we then contaminate it before dumping it into the nearest natural sink. Now we have brought ourselves to a showdown with our old friend Mother Nature.

The Chilcotin-Thompson-Fraser river system still runs free. As it flow under Annacis bridge, just a short way from the open sea, it is considered by some utilities as water going to waste. We have forced upon ourselves the most outrageous decision, as well as the most hypocritical of postures: Flood the Rocky Mountain Trench while being responsible about the environment. That project has already been designed, but the few who know about it would rather just hope it will go away and never happen. Could it be that water, not spices or gold - not even oil - is destined to be the next, and ultimate, imperial ambition.

Only at Sea does there seem to be just the right amount of water left. So far we haven't been able to upset the natural balance of the Oceans - although, many would argue with that. But now we are about to try. With popular jubilation we are turning to the sea, looking to the wind and the waves for power generation. ¿ But can we really expect to rob that energy with no affect to the cliamates of the Earth. Is that not the very best example of the "butterfly effect" in Chaos Theory?