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2.3: Case Study, California

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    343381
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    California offers a number of great examples of the environmental water issues outlined in this chapter so far. In order to understand those issues in more depth, we will take a few days to analyze different texts before synthesizing the problems and solutions that they bring up, culminating in a Water Solutions Negotiation exercise at the end of this chapter.

    Case Study Day 1: California Agriculture and Water Access

    Water and Power: A California Heist

    Before or during next class, depending on your professor’s instructions, please watch Marina Zenovich’s 2017 Water and Power: A California Heist, streaming on multiple services, to set up our first water justice case study. As you are watching, please answer the Critical Viewing Questions below and bring to class:

    • What are some significant and/or surprising statistics about Kern County, agricultural water usage, etc.?
    • What is the problem that the documentary sets up?
    • Who are the key parties and who is being harmed?
    • What are some of the causes of that problem, both historical and ongoing?
    • What solutions does the documentary suggest?
    • Paraphrase Rob Nixon’s term slow violence and summarize how it applies here.
    • What is your stance on the topic not only in terms of Kern County but on a more global scale when we consider water justice.

    2.3: Case Study, California is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LibreTexts.

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