I think the subtitle of this one is a little misleading, just because describing this as a book about the future of the American southwest is entirely too narrow. It's a book that's always thinking about the future, but it's very much about the past, present, and future of the area, one that explores topics from the history of native peoples to the current politics of water use to projected climate-change models. The picture it paints is complex and interesting, and, perhaps unsurprisingly, very depressing, especially for a resident of the area like me. I should note that this was published in 2013, so it's little bit dated, but, well, I think it's safe to say that the details haven't gotten any less depressing in the meantime.

I wasn't entirely sure about the writing at first, as it struck me that the author was sometimes trying to be a little too poetic to make up for otherwise being pretty -- sorry for the word choice! -- dry. But he absolutely won me over by the end, and ultimately I found this to be informative, absorbing, and thoughtful, with a nice balance between broad overview and intimate detail. Recommended for anyone with an interest in the US's desert states, the changes they've been through, and the ones that are still ahead. ( )

Well researched and interesting book on the future of the American Southwest in the face of anticipated climate change. William deBuys interviews most of the major players whose decisions will affect the area and considers what the future might hold. Contains the best description yet of the Colorado River Compact that divides Colorado River water between the SW states and Mexico. ( )

A beautifully written, well-researched account of climate change in the American southwest in the past, present, and future.

Not many environmental writers can be said to write with grace and skill, which is why, despite my deep concerns, I seldom read them. Their books are too full of anger, pain, fear and incomprehensible data to be pleasant reading. William DeBuys is an exception. He offers engaging stories and metaphors along with clear explanations of everything from complex changes in global weather patterns to the ongoing irrationalities of the allocation of water alleged to be in the Colorado River.

Read more on my blog: you, me and books
http://mdbrady.wordpress.com/2012/04/14/a-great-aridness-climate-change-and-the-...

William deBuys is a transplant to New Mexico that took to the area like a duck to water. His book, River of Traps: A New Mexico Mountain Life, was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for non-fiction in 1991. His latest book, A Great Aridness: Climate Change and the Future of the American Southwest, is a snapshot of current conditions in the Southwest and some speculations of what the next few decades might bring. His love of the area shines through in an attached way. This isn't written in an unattached scholarly manner.

deBuys is not one of those hard-nosed black and white people when it comes to cogitating on the many issues facing the region. He brings out the grays and complexity of trying to address some of these problems. He mainly concentrates on the Colorado Plateau and the Colorado River watershed boundaries- New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, Southern California, Nevada, Utah, and Northern Mexico.

There many areas touched upon, nearly all of them quite interesting. There are glimpses of past, present, and future. The chapter on the Ancestral Puebloans (Anasazi) advances some of the latest theories on the disappearance of these peoples from the areas where they built extensive infrastructure during medieval times. The Sun Corridor in Arizona (roughly from Phoenix to Tucson) has been called one of the least sustainable places in the world, this book brings out some of the reasons why. Another issue is the Beetles and wildfires that have hit hard in the last few years. There are some doubts on total recovery from these disasters.

The border fence between Mexico and the US is covered from several angles. Mt. Graham in Arizona has had a controversial last few decades between the astronomers and environmentalists. There was a chapter on the Janos Biosphere Reserve in northern Mexico of which I previously knew very little of.

One of the gray areas was fascinating, that of the arguments that have raged over mesquite, prairie dogs, and natural grasses. Some believe that it is not mesquite or grasses that dominate continually, but the area has flip-flopped over the centuries. Neither ranchers nor environmentalists are quite happy with this theory.

A Great Aridness was an informative, interesting, and engaging look at the potential problems facing one corner of the world. ( )