Welcome to the first The Dystopia Is Already Here newsletter!
Things are pretty bad, huh?
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[Article] But where has the water gone?
“The Colorado River is dying. The water source for 40 million people across seven states and part of Mexico is rapidly drying out, leaving the two biggest reservoirs in the U.S. thirstier and thirstier, and offering up what may be the first climate change impact that the country literally cannot ignore.”
The Colorado River drought is the first climate disaster the U.S. legally has to deal with, Grid, https://www.grid.news/story/climate/2022/07/25/the-colorado-river-drought-is-the-first-climate-disaster-the-us-legally-has-to-deal-with/
“The images, which cover the years 2000, 2021 and 2022, show once-full tributaries transformed into dry crevasses. The lake, which supplies water to roughly 25 million people across the American west, is currently at its lowest levels since it was filled in 1937. As of 18 July, it stands at just 27% of its capacity.”
Nasa images show extreme withering of Lake Mead over 22 years, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jul/21/nasa-images-lake-mead-drought
[Article] The amount of UPS drivers with stories of heat exhaustion or going to hospital in this story is infuriating
And this is just from NYC!
“They’re steamed that the company has invested in new automation technology, drones, surveillance cameras and tracking devices — but not its employees’ comfort. One worker told THE CITY a supervisor reprimanded him for taking a 47-second pause for a sip of water — because it was stealing company time.”
UPS Drivers Demand AC in Trucks Following Heat Wave: ‘It’s Like Walking Into Hell’, The City (NYC), https://www.thecity.nyc/work/2022/7/27/23281777/ups-drivers-trucks-heat-wave-hell
[PODCAST] Distracted Driving and “why you should never talk on the phone — even hands free — when you’re behind the wheel of a car”
“Traffic fatalities in the U.S. are at a 16-year high. One reason? Driver distraction. Today’s automobiles are loaded with an almost cinematic level of screens, featuring apps and infotainment systems that blur the distinction between car and smartphone… and that overload the brain’s cognitive abilities to a level not even trained military pilots can handle. Russ Mitchell, a staff writer at the Los Angeles Times, joins us to discuss his recent story on the deadly consquences of carmakers’ and tech companies’ race to turn the inside of automobiles into what one researcher called “a candy store of distraction.” Plus, why you should never talk on the phone — even hands free — when you’re behind the wheel of a car.”
Distracted to Death, The War On Cars, https://thewaroncars.org/2022/07/18/distracted-to-death/
[Article] You’re not imagining it, your wages aren’t keeping up
“Beyond astronomical executive compensation and a growing pay disparity, corporate profits are at 70-year record highs and stock buybacks are continuing to enrich an already comfortable investor class. In 2021, there was a record level of stock buybacks—$881.7 billion—which was a nearly 70% increase from 2020.”
75% Of Middle Class Households Say Their Wages Aren’t Keeping Up With Inflation, I Hate It Here And Never Want To Leave https://neverleave.substack.com/p/75-of-middle-class-households-say
Who we’re following: Peter Kalmus, a climate scientists who endlessly is sounding the alarm which is largely landing on deaf ears.
https://twitter.com/ClimateHuman
[Article] Homeless in America: “Even for people that have funds, there’s no place for them to go. This is a crisis, and I don’t use that term lightly.”
“Jeanie Cannell, her husband and his daughter have lived at the Kennebunk travel plaza on the Maine Turnpike for three months, unable to find affordable housing, even though two of them work full-time.”
‘Nobody would choose this’: A turnpike rest area and a van become home for one Maine family, Press Herald, https://www.pressherald.com/2022/07/24/nobody-would-choose-this-a-turnpike-rest-area-and-a-van-become-home-for-one-maine-family/
