Development, no matter how slow, cannot go on forever
On March 31, you published a local Viewpoint by Carlyn Christianson (“Fears and facts about SLO city water”). In it, she says, “We learned to conserve like crazy.” True. But to what end? According to her, it is to allow us to continue “the kinds of development the city would like to see in the future.”
Well, there you have it. The citizens of SLO are saving water so developers can build — paving agricultural land, adding thousands of houses, with water provided by our savings. How hypocritical can you get? You might as well send the money directly to the developers,
Many rigorous studies have shown that development by itself rarely pays its own way — think fire, police, schools, streets, sewers, etc. You know who pays? Take a guess.
And when will this overuse of our resources ever end? Fortunately, we know the result of continued expansion. Hint: Think 200 miles to the south. Development, no matter how “slow,” cannot go on forever. For a great explanation of the mathematics of growth, check out http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/arithmetic-population-and-energy-lecture.
A.J. Buffa, San Luis Obispo
This story was originally published April 8, 2016 at 8:31 PM with the headline "Development, no matter how slow, cannot go on forever."