Where are we?
It is, always, easy to forget when looking at where we are, that we are here at this moment.
Normally we look at the geographic situation missing out the historical context. More so when we try to understand our bio -regional reality. It is true that there is a geographic reality that we must take into account, more so today when we witness climatic changes that affect us differently in different regions of the globe. While some are suffering drought, others are suffering floods, and so on.
But we must not forget that all these events are related, take for instance droughts and floods. Water is the common denominator here. How water is distributed over time around the Earth is a climatic phenomenon. About 2/3 of the surface of the Earth is covered by water depending on who you ask. Most of it is not potable, fresh, drinking water.
For more on the amounts visit the U.S. Geological Survey at the following link: https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html
Life is intrinsically linked to water so understanding where water is, is critical for the understanding of our society. One of the most interesting tourist attractions is to travel on rivers that cross old cities in Europe, and elsewhere, where you see the historical development of those towns from the river up. In the PBS series Journey to Planet Earth a video documentary "Rivers of Destiny" makes the case for the importance of rivers in the development and sustainability of cultures around the life on the river backs. http://www.pbs.org/journeytoplanetearth/programs/rivers-destiny/. Without the river, there is no life!
Water knows no borders, even though sometimes it is the border between regions, states, or countries. Air, our atmosphere also knows no borders. Pollution of the atmosphere in one place can, and normally does, other areas. Sometimes the contamination can be felt miles and miles away from the source of contamination. Carbon dioxide produced in China will contribute to climate change in the whole world, like the one produced in the USA, Brasil, Japan, or any other part of the world.
So we can at least think of two sources of common ground, two things that can contribute to the common good or lack of there off. Studies of the Bio-Region must include these two. water and air, in order to see how we all are affected and how we all can contribute to the wellbeing or our society.
