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Dave Gallagher's avatar

Good job comparing and contrasting Phoenix and Tucson. The difference could explain why Phoenix is sinking and Tucson is not according to those who measure the sinking of cities.

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Charlie Grantham (Tucson)'s avatar

Yep, exactly. Another example of prioritizing profit over people and failing to learn from our ancestors.

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Liberal Old Lady's avatar

Sadly, I think your prognostications of the future could come true. I’m only in the Tucson area seasonally, but I have become very attached to this community. Project Blue is a horrendous idea; the intention of creating more jobs may be good, but this is not the way to go about it. Investments in solar & wind power, sustainable farming, etc., would go a long way to making the future more livable.

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Bud Foster's avatar

One of things I’ve learned in my 75 trips around the sun, when big business starts making promises, it’s time to head for the hills. Remember when IBM came to Tucson? All the hoopla and the promises? They took all our tax breaks and then skeedattled from town, pockets full of broken promises and our cash. What’s that an about once bitten?

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Pan Lambert's avatar

OH Come on!! Think of the profits to be made from tourists from Tele Markham!! My husband and I have spent a bundle to visit the ruins of many "lost" civilizations. and now are prepared to cash in! Water from hidden red reservoirs brought to you by Bezos' and the other rich guy's space ships. Financed by Red Tax Cuts. Dehydrated all cane sugar Coke to drink. Air dryed Hot Dogs from cancelled "eating" contests. Indoor golf in the Trump White house Ballroom. Fun for all!!!

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Patrick Cavanaugh's avatar

David. Well done in creating this dystopian image where reckless decisions end up in disastrous resuts.

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Lisa's avatar

Tucson Mayor and Council voted Project Blue D O W N !!!

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Peggy Hendrickson's avatar

Humanity has turned out to be dumb, self-centered, and slow-witted. We are rapidly and intentionally destroying the perfection that our creator bestowed upon us. We are decimating the populations that arose from this land by constantly damaging and defiling the perfection of nature. I believe the human race will go extinct through their own hideous and cruel decisions. Project Blue is just another symptom of humanity’s drive to destroy our home, planet earth.

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MICHAEL J BRUWER Tucson's avatar

Most excellent thank you.

As a serious next step, maybe you could walk us backward from that future we’d like to have here in the valley and show the steps that we took from there to here, which will of course be the steps from here to there.

Strategizing. Planting seeds of ideas and hope.

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Amanda Place's avatar

BTW once built data centers need few employees to maintain them.

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Noam Emerson-Fleming's avatar

What's with the anti-nuclear power? It doesn't fit in with the rest of your environmental concerns. The anti-nuclear movement has done tons of damage to the environment with this kind of rhetoric. Nuclear power is green and is incredibly necessary in the fight against climate change.

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David W Fitzsimmons's avatar

I am not opposed to nuclear power.

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Noam Emerson-Fleming's avatar

This segment seems to be putting nuclear power in the same box as the water and climate apocalypse of the rest of it -- "The many small nuclear reactors that were eventually built to power the energy gobbling data centers were decomissioned. The irradiated wildlife made desert travel doubly daunting." That's how it reads, at least.

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David W Fitzsimmons's avatar

I could see small nuclear reactors being a solution to the rapacious energy needs of data centers.And I could see reactors decommissioned when the centers became abandoned when the tech evolves. In the course of time with civil and political turmoil one or more may become the targets for neglect, mismanagement or terror. I can foresee a mini Chernobyl in Chandler with native life life suffering. I prefer the superior French model of standardized reactors. Secure nuclear is one green savior in the coming climate struggle.

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Noam Emerson-Fleming's avatar

The French model is a great one. That being said, it is not the date centers that are why we need nuclear, in a country where the majority of our power is still neither traditionally renewable nor nuclear. Of course, the data centers are a new challenge for power, but we needed nuclear in 2010, and even more now.

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Klara Cserny's avatar

What we really need is someone working to solve the problem of becoming a class I civilization, i.e., harnessing the total energy of the sun = unlimited power. Also making humanity less warlike and greedy so we don't wipe ourselves out before we can become truly civilized.

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Margery Welch's avatar

If only Mr. F, if only...well I believe in Tucson

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Dennis Winsten's avatar

If you haven’t already read it, read the book “the water knife”.

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Dave Gallagher's avatar

Google: Data centers and America's oligarchs for a deeper understanding of what is going on.

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