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Regarding irrigation of deserts (from the other thread):
The problem is that the total amount of water is fixed. One cannot magically make more water appear in the desert. If it is used there, it has to be taken from somewhere else.
This reality behind the theory of turning deserts to bloom has caused tremendous problems in the American west. The Colorado river, for instance, does not flow to the ocean any more -- all the water is taken out by variety of sources, from farmers for irrigation purposes to major cities for the host of uses that a population needs. This situation creates a perpetual state of water crises in the West, with various parties fighting over the same limited resource.
And all because of ecological stupidity on the part of humans. The main lesson to be drawn from studying the water problems of a city the size of Los Angeles and its devastating impact on a vast area is that it should never have been built in the damned desert to begin with.
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