as our mouths were agape from the raw beauty of the mountainous landscape, we found ourselves coughing – at points choking – on dust. and upon conversing with locals like the taxista on day two, it was clear that the dry climate is far from breaking news. this 10-year drought has become commonplace for mendozans, each year a bit worse than the last.

sure enough, a 2021 study found that five of the largest rivers in the mendoza basin are under extreme hydrological drought conditions. in addition to the desiccation of key wetland ecosystems, agriculture and livestock have suffered tremendously. wine production has decreased by almost a third, and key reservoirs can no longer promise water to local communities. as an attempted pivot, snowfall from the andes has been increasingly relied on – but what happens when snowfall decreases each year? last winter, the valley received no snow at all. snow-covered vistas are either distant in memory, or far up in the mountains.

activism in mendoza

on the final day of our trip, we had the gift of spending time with members of mendoza’s asamblea popular por el agua. this group of young climate activists have planned and implemented a series of largely- attended protests, dances and other events over the past five years. on this day, we drove two hours south to attend a public fair framed around the distribution and celebration of seeds in the town of san carlos.

they shared their work with us, which has proven incredibly effective in creating change and mobilizing substantial numbers of people in the fight for rights to clean water for everyone. their framework of diverse, creative, unrelenting activism allows them to address specific communities with each campaign, ensuring that their message truly reaches everyone.

their campaign also addressed questions of environmental justice in the face of climate change, since the impacts of drought, water pollution, and privatization will be distributed unequally, such that certain communities bare the largest burden of these actions. by utilizing infrastructures that already exist, such as grassroots organizations, farmer coalitions, news channels, famous singers like the puerto rican rap group calle 13, and more, they have brought their message to large audiences.

la feria de semillas adopted this similar technique, bringing local farmers, vendors, specialists, the work of local students, and regional nonprofits into the same space in order to amplify their message and strengthen connections within this network of various actors. having only witnessed four days of mendoza, i found myself blown away. first, at the seriousness of the situation. as environmental crises often are, this drought is at the nexus point of concurrent crises: public health, economic and ecological. second, i was blown away at the wisdom and clarity of the activism already in place. it was targeted, inspiring, and oozing with the joy of community. in my past activism in the u.s., i had never encountered a group that could so gracefully balance hope and reason.

upon boarding the return flight to buenos aires, i felt shaken awake. the land had a lot to say, but so did the people. this work is rich with demonstrations of conflict transformation in practice. the seed fair attendees brought their own history and life experience into the space; each had their personal stories of the drought and its impacts. in order to equalize and publicize the knowledge of this predicament, a panel of local experts elaborated on the historical and current situation.

similarly, there was a native plant workshop, open to the public, where attendees could learn about local plants and how to cultivate them. these structures built both freedom and responsibility for every individual at the fair: by gathering sources of local knowledge and sharing them among the community, each individual becomes an agent of change. they too can distribute this knowledge. they are part of the solution.

the santa cruz has a long way to go. urban rivers across the world are facing the same problem: trash. and a lot of it. trash impacts waterways, harbor disease, and pollutes water with invisible microplastics. something needs to be done, and at many scales, government policies to clean up or prevent trash pollution aren’t working. so, in a five-month endeavor to seek the truths about plastic pollution in my river, i came across an amazing untold story.  

reconciliation. restoring relations with the landscapes that sustain you. the idea of reconciliation with nature is not new. nor is it mine to profess. all my relations and interconnection is a central core of first nations, inuit, and metis worldviews and ways of knowing. some first nations sum this up with the phrase “all my relations”. this mindset reflects people who are aware that everything in the universe is connected. what is new, is the use of this mindset to insight into action and inspire change. on a local level in tucson, angelantonio breault is leading the charge to reconcile with the lands that sustain us. reconciliation as a climate solution is harnessing the power of empathy and has the ability to heal our planet, as well as ourselves.

in the face of breakneck innovation and rapid change, i propose a return to self. 

this story was featured in our series, slipping through our fingers: the future of water.

the rebirth of the santa cruz river in tucson, arizona is an ecological miracle. the santa cruz river flowed year-round until human intervention dried its banks more than 110 years ago. recently, the city of tucson decided to pump water back into the river. 

after only two years of consistent flow, the river has bloomed to support dozens of mammal, amphibian, and insect species, 135 bird species, 149 plant species, and one very special endangered minnow. 

the growing interest in the river has sparked reconnection with tucson’s heritage. the city is expressing renewed interest in native ecosystems, sustainable gardening, and water conservation.

the southwestern united states is entering its 22nd year of a megadrought, making water resources more valuable and more scarce than ever before. lawmakers, scientists, agencies, and governments alike face the challenge of finding innovations to use the smallest amounts of water for the greatest total benefit. a solution to this major challenge flows through the heart of tucson. 

water conservation in the desert 

in 2001, arizona received its first delivery of colorado river water through the central arizona project canals, allowing the city to move toward more sustainable water use by using less groundwater and investing in stormwater.  in 2013, wastewater treatment plants began releasing reclaimed water into the santa cruz north of the city as a groundwater reclamation project.

reclaimed water is a way to recycle the water that comes out of a city as sewage. water treatment plants clean the water with chemicals and release it so it can soak back into the ground to recharge as groundwater.   

the water in the santa cruz is cleaned further by natural processes and eventually soaks into tucson’s aquifer. the city of tucson says that groundwater recharge with reclaimed water is a safeguard for drought for tucson. it’s a water bank for times of need.

in 2016, the director of tucson water, tim thomure, pitched a new project –– expanding the existing santa cruz recharge effort. he wanted another pipe to release reclaimed water in the heart of downtown tucson.

the idea came to life three years later as the santa cruz river heritage project.

sciences elevate the river’s health

the dragonflies weren’t the only surprise attendees at the “opening day” of the heritage project. organizers projected the event to be tiny; it was barely even advertised. there was one small tent with one crate of water bottles. more than 300 people –– and a mariachi band –– came to celebrate water returning to the river.

“it’s a trickle of water really, but such a small amount of water has created such enormous change,” bogan told me.

he wasn’t kidding; the santa cruz outflows about 1,500 gallons per minute as of 2022. for comparison, the mississippi outflows around 266,159,000 gallons per minute.

bogan and his team do continuous monitoring through species counts, species abundance surveys, and remote monitoring, which provide resources to the city of tucson to keep it healthy and prosperous. almost in disbelief, he said that, “after only 2 years of continuous flow, we’re seeing an incredible amount of biodiversity.” the rapid recovery of the santa cruz river is a beacon of hope to ecologists and citizens alike.

it seems to me that the santa cruz river has had a certifiable field of dreams moment –– with michael bogan as ray kinsella. except, in our desert narrative, the iconic line goes, “if you water it, they will come.”

the cultural significance of the heritage reach

the base of sentinel peak (known more often as “a-mountain”) has been sustaining life for over 4,000 years, making it one of the oldest sites of continuous agricultural activity in the country. the tohono o’odham and their ancestors, the hohokam, have been stewarding the land for uncountable generations. 

in 1910, businessmen drilled 20 wells at the base of sentinel peak, drying up the river completely in just five years. deprived of water, the trees that stood sentinel along the banks of the santa cruz for hundreds of years perished. for 100 years, the santa cruz has been dry and forgotten, its once-raging waters are now caged in a narrow channel of concrete. it remains as a dry scar on the landscape, like an artery with no blood to pump. 

the heritage project chose the new pipe location based on the rich history. but why is the return of water to the santa cruz called the “heritage project” and not the “recharge project”?

“returning water to the river is just one part of what ‘heritage’ means,” kendall kroeson told me as we walked the grounds of mission garden together. to kendall, the heritage project will be complete if the people, food, and history that santa cruz supported for centuries are highlighted along with the ecological success of the river.

the history of tucson’s birthplace is kept alive by the spirit of resilience and the hardworking volunteers at mission garden.

“tasting history”

kendall is the outreach coordinator for mission garden, a living agricultural museum of heritage fruit trees, traditional local heirloom crops, and edible native plants. it stands on the 4,000-year-old agricultural site.

as i spent time in the quiet walls of adobe around mission garden, i spotted hawks soaring in the crisp morning air and petit gambel’s quail scuttling under the underbrush. native habitat met flourishing gardens in a brilliant display of desert beauty.

it felt like a sister location to the santa cruz –– a sister that is upholding the heritage, biodiversity, and sacred knowledge of crop cultivation alive as she waits patiently for the river to flow again. 

mission garden is more than a connection to the past, it is an active facilitator of the future. kendall showed me a fallow plot that would become “the garden of tomorrow”.

“we need to make more food, with less land, and less water,” kendall told me. “it’s a huge challenge.”

the garden plans to showcase drought-resistant plants and drought-tolerant garden practices. it will be an example of sustainable urban agriculture for tucson and the southwest. they educate people on how to grow food themselves. backyard gardening makes food more nutritious, decreases the use of pesticides, and decreases carbon dioxide emissions.

“it is important to know what happened in the past to know what is possible for the future,” says kroeson. “here at mission garden, we’re here to help people ‘taste history.’”

generational change in tucson

“four to five generations of tucsonans have disengaged with the river,” luke cole told me.

luke is the director of the santa cruz project at the conservation nonprofit, the sonoran institute. he and dr. bogan expressed the same sentiment when i asked them, “what’s one of the most important impacts you’re seeing from the santa cruz?” they both answered that it’s the community change they’ve seen.

i talked to charles giles, a lawyer, and avid cyclist who has lived in tucson for more than 70 years. when i asked him about the santa cruz, he immediately responded that “oh, it had been dead for quite a while.” he’s right. before the heritage project, tucson’s relationship with the water that once sustained it was all but gone.

new generations of tucsonans will come to know the river as a place to learn about the value of biodiversity and the importance of water conservation. dr. bogan revealed to me that he is approved to create a program that will build a curriculum for educators of all grade levels in tucson and train 30 teachers over the next three years. he will endeavor to reconnect the newest generation with the river through the power of science and cultural awareness.

the soul of tucson

as the world faces massive challenges stemming from climate change, it is more and more important to find the most impactful solutions that need the least resources. the brilliance of the santa cruz project is that by adding water, a multitude of benefits have sprouted. cole noted the importance of this in urban ecosystems, telling me that we need to ”celebrate the multi-uses when they’re there.”

the santa cruz heritage project is making tucson more drought resilient, conserving water resources, supporting critical biodiversity, connecting a city to its heritage, and educating a new generation. the flowing river is changing the heart of tucson.

something about the sound of water in the desert sings the song of survival to the human soul. massive change can come from the tiniest of sources, just as a mighty river can be reborn from the smallest trickle. 

my ongoing efforts and concerns regarding climate change are altruistic – protection of the living earth as we know it. my impatience has grown exponentially, too, because of my self-centered concern for the world in which my daughter and two grandchildren will live. 

the haudenosaunee people, the original inhabitants and stewards of the place i call home in upstate new york, and some of the first people globally to promote sustainability starting centuries ago, teach us to be attentive to seven generations. this is not just about those who have come before, but i argue – most importantly – those yet to come. as national public radio reported recently during their coverage building up to cop26, young people around the globe increasingly are losing hope that we will make the needed progress in protecting future generations of the earth’s awesome living creatures.

yet humanity has had a snail’s pace of response toward addressing climate change. specifically, the pendulum of policy change i’ve seen in my decades of professional engagement on this issue is slow. i’m troubled about our collective inability to effectively engage climate deniers, and i’m equally anxious about what i see is a growing divide, with scientists and science driven to the sideline, also slowing the pendulum of policy change. members of the academic community, including me, have some responsibility for this.

why do i want to attend cop 26? i want to learn new ways to communicate, and if provided the opportunity, help focus attention at the nexus of policy, communication, and science, with the goal of accelerated change. policies that can’t withstand the changing political wind, and an overfocus on education targeting individual choices – while both important – will not save the day. it’s cliched, but we are in dire need of a paradigm shift in how we, collectively, are pressing forward with solutions. time does not afford us the luxury of extended, contemplative action. to 2022年卡塔尔世界杯官网 , we need to deliberatively embrace impatience.

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about the author:

mark lichtenstein, who is attending cop26, is the executive operating officer, chief of staff, and chief sustainability officer at the state university of new york’s college of environmental science and forestry, where he also teaches sustainability. he is an associate in the program for the advancement of research on conflict and collaboration at syracuse university’s maxwell school, led syracuse’s center for sustainable community solutions and environmental finance center, served as an expert witness to the federal environmental finance advisory board and is a member of the national roster of environmental conflict resolution professionals. he is an honorary board member of the national recycling coalition and served eight terms as president/ceo. he led the first national sustainable materials management summit focused on the circular economy and traded the first recyclables through the chicago board of trade. he has been engaged with regenerative efforts throughout the americas.

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editor’s note: please check back every day, leading up to the beginning of cop26 on oct. 31, for new pieces from climate leaders in the planet forward network.