[sxp]

To put this in context, it takes about 1 gallon of water per 1g of almond [1]. And in California's dry climate, this water comes from groundwater that doesn't renew as fast as it's depleted. So the next time someone chastises you for your non-low flow showerhead that uses more than 2 almonds of water per minute, remember to put the numbers in context.

1. Numbers from a pro-almond group: https://www.almonds.org/why-almonds/growing-good/water-wise

[ricardbejarano]

I don't know why, but the fact that a "pro-almond group" exists chuckled me up.

[Ekaros]

There is corruption for everything money touches...

I actually wonder if there is not single moderately sized industry that does not have some interest group...

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

Industry advocacy groups ≠ corruption.

They're basically necessary to do business in an advanced society that has rules governing every aspect of life. Those rules (even if good) often have unintended consequences and advocacy groups can help ensure that their industries are considered when rule-making.

[bitmasher9]

Lobbying as practiced by these advocacy groups is basically American flavored corruption. If the system were in place anywhere else we’d call it corruption, but it’s our system so we call it Lobbying.

[array_key_first]

Yes but that ship has sailed, so now you need anti-corruption corruption to hopefully corrupt the corruption so it's less corrupt.

Like, the only reason "almond advocacy" even exists is because dairy and beef are some of the most lobbied and blessed industries in America. They can practically do whatever they want, whenever they want, so fuck you, pal.

[rcpt]

Nah dude look at France and their farm owners

[micromacrofoot]

this assumes that the needs of both the workers and the owners (who pay for the lobbying) are aligned, and they're often not

lobbyists will advocate for taking the water right from under the noses of the workers, and the workers will turn around and praise their employer for maintaining their jobs... it's often some kind of perverse shell game

at the end of the day the owners fly off to wherever with a pile of money and the workers are left without jobs or water — these false dichotomies of "if it weren't for lobbyists all jobs would be regulated away" is often used to disenfranchise people from actually changing these systems

[ahmeneeroe-v2]

This assumes no such thing.

[micromacrofoot]

You're right, it asserts it. Lobbying is not necessary, and in some other wealthy countries it would be considered bribery.

It only becomes advocacy when you take the money out of it.

[hydrogen7800]

This sounds a bit sensationalized, and I'm not sure if it's the source from which I originally learned of the issue, but:

>In a series of secret meetings in 1994, the Resnicks seized control of California’s public water supply. Now they’ve built a business empire by selling it back to working people.

https://perfectunion.us/how-this-billionaire-couple-stole-ca...

[voakbasda]

When the water wars start, they will be the first against the wall.

[artursapek]

Almond trees are stuck as almond trees forever. They can't switch to something else. Anywhere an investment in something is entrenched like this, you'll find lobbying.

[dylan604]

If there is and you name it, the interest group will be formed.

[mikrl]

Is that the Almond Front of California, or the Californian Almond Front?

[triceratops]

I'd non-ironically join that. Almonds are the bees knees. Almond milk is an atrocity though.

[daedrdev]

Almonds alone are like half of all urban water use in california.

[daedrdev]

More specifically, farming and urban use 50% of the water California gets (river outflows to the sea are the other main place water ends up) Urban use is 10% and farming is 40% of that total water input. Almonds alone are 7% of ALL water, almost as much as the 10% urban.

The level of subsidy the relatively unimportant crops get with their basically free water is astounding, especially considering the high urban prices of water