It's very frustrating, because it's clearly a problem, and also clearly a solvable problem. Yet, actual action moves at geological timescales (in this case, quite literally).
Really? What about the Aral Sea? Formerly the fourth largest lake in the world.
another example of short-term thinking and decision making resulting in severe long-term loss.
"The bill comes due. Always."
As to exactly why, who knows? What could a handful of birds have been worth?
Glen Canyon was built in the 1960s. Because the infrastructure enabled so much growth, demand is outpacing supply.
Arizona is trying to build a desalination plant in the Sea of Cortez to solve the Colorado River problem and the environmentalists immediately came out of the woodwork to complain about it. The mass media then, in a coordinated fashion, pushed FUD about how desalination is bad for the climate because it will require energy (Arizona is a leader in carbon-free nuclear and solar energy), will be too expensive, it'll destroy habitats, etc. At some point you start to realize the sentiment is entirely political and has little to do with finding practical solutions.
How much is exported in produce?
later generations paying for the greed of prior generations is the exact situation I am referring to.