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#ThisIsClimateChange Arizona has floating cities... in the desert (figuratively). Snaking through topographical lines of desert geography are the sinuous man-made rivers flowing uphill (literally), from a river that ceases to end at the ocean and into cities that are built on the foundation and guarantee of a costly water supply.

And all that water infrastructure is powered by coal. The Navajo Generating Station, in Page, AZ, to be exact. This over 2,000 Megawatt station pushes water uphill via pumps throughout the Central Arizona Project canal. ProPublica has an extensive story covering this history and current impacts and diminished Colorado River expectations here: https://projects.propublica.org/killing-the-colorado/story/navajo-generating-station-colorado-river-drought.

All that coal being burned has a visible impact on our atmosphere, noticeable in this gallery's images. The smog created really soaks in the brilliant desert sunsets and sunrises like the red rock sandstone country where it is located. Invisible, however, are the tens of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emitted every day. Arizona's water supply, via the CAP, has a massive carbon dump into the atmosphere, with no price or consequence for dumping it there.

Unfortunately, that pollution is contributing to an impact on how much water is available for delivery by the CAP itself, due to climate-enhanced drought and over-allocation. So, there may be a consequence after all.
Copyright
Climate Photography, Joshua Ruschhaupt
Image Size
7360x4912 / 1.4MB
Contained in galleries
Navajo Generating Station, Lake Powell, Glen Canyon Dam, Page, UT
#ThisIsClimateChange Arizona has floating cities... in the desert (figuratively). Snaking through topographical lines of desert geography are the sinuous man-made rivers flowing uphill (literally), from a river that ceases to end at the ocean and into cities that are built on the foundation and guarantee of a costly water supply.<br /> <br /> And all that water infrastructure is powered by coal. The Navajo Generating Station, in Page, AZ, to be exact. This over 2,000 Megawatt station pushes water uphill via pumps throughout the Central Arizona Project canal. ProPublica has an extensive story covering this history and current impacts and diminished Colorado River expectations here: https://projects.propublica.org/killing-the-colorado/story/navajo-generating-station-colorado-river-drought.<br /> <br /> All that coal being burned has a visible impact on our atmosphere, noticeable in this gallery's images. The smog created really soaks in the brilliant desert sunsets and sunrises like the red rock sandstone country where it is located. Invisible, however, are the tens of thousands of tons of carbon dioxide emitted every day. Arizona's water supply, via the CAP, has a massive carbon dump into the atmosphere, with no price or consequence for dumping it there.<br /> <br /> Unfortunately, that pollution is contributing to an impact on how much water is available for delivery by the CAP itself, due to climate-enhanced drought and over-allocation. So, there may be a consequence after all.