How Water Shortages Will Affect Agriculture in California
One out of every six jobs in California is tied to agriculture in some way. California has the largest agricultural economy in the nation; half of the nation's fruits, nuts, and vegetables are grown here. Cotton, foliage and flowers are also in the top 10 agricultural commodities produced in California. However, due to California's dry climate (especially in the southern region), a lot of water is needed for agriculture. If water was to become scarce, our crops would start to die and our farms would not be able to maintain healthy livestock. A lack of crops also means a lack of produce which will later contribute to food shortages. We may have to start to relying on cloning crops that do not need much water. A decrease in agriculture will lead to a dcrease in jobs causing unemployment rates to increase.
How Water Shortages Will Affect the Economy
A decrease in agriculture will cause a considerable increase in unemployment rates. This will heavily impact the economy. But there is more to this problem than what meets the eye. Lets get away from the focus of southern CA and look at the world. Once a source on Earth becomes scarce, it becomes very expensive like oil and gold. So what if water became scarce? Well its only reasonable to say that if that were to happen then water would become more and more expensive and unlike oil and gold, water is a direct necessity for human survival. If water becomes more expensive many people will not be able to afford it. This could cause great political conflict and/or war. If nothing is done water scarcity will continue to increase and sooner or later billions of Americans will not have access to safe drinking water.