Speaking for the US many populated arid areas are completely unsustainable as population centers (ironically also where most people in the US have been moving for awhile now), especially because water resources haven’t been managed rationally in many arid areas. This story will absolutely be a global one though, see Tehran for one massive example, Lake Mead for another. No water and deadly heat waves are going to make for limitless ghost town tourism attraction opportunities!

The future is bright for abandoned building photography communities!

  • someguy3@lemmy.world
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    2 days ago

    You can recycle your water very well. Vegas has a very low loss rate. It will be cheaper to pipe water in to replace losses than build an entire new city.

    • NotSteve_@piefed.ca
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      2 days ago

      The problem repeatedly seems to come down to a decision of “cost now, money saved later” versus “money saved now, much bigger cost later”.

      The choice always seems to be the latter

      • someguy3@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        I highly doubt in this scenario. Water is not that expensive even shipped, and you only have to ship in the losses. Building anything let alone a brand new city? Fucking insane. Think about every house, business, and industrial builiding. It’s unreal.

        • NotSteve_@piefed.ca
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          2 days ago

          There won’t be an explicit decision to up and leave to create a new city, don’t get me wrong. What I expect is that these cities will continue to make the cheapest, politically convenient attempts at solving the issue which will only lead to it being more and more expensive to live there comfortably. People will naturally leave to other neighbouring cities or towns that are in less of a dire situation

          Water is not that expensive even shipped

          Not right now but as it becomes scarce in the area, that cost will go up exponentially. As the cost rises, people who can’t afford it will start leaving - lowering the incentive to ship water out that way (a smaller market). That further pushes up the cost forcing more people to leave until it snowballs into a ghost city

          • someguy3@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            There won’t be an explicit decision to up and leave to create a new city

            No. Shit. Sherlock.

            Do you understand that you recycle water? Set up the system like Vegas and your toilet flush today is your drinking water tomorrow. It doesn’t go poof into the ether JFC. That means you only have to ship in the losses JFC. Piping in water losses is fucking easyyyyyyy. Relocating millions of people is harrrrddd. JFC you people have no idea how things work. Water prices will go up yes, quite a lot when you consider it’s close to free right now. It’s not going to be a expontially increasing graph until the end of time like you’re talking. I’m gonna leave this conversation.

      • someguy3@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Bum fuck nowhere might go under because there’s no business there anyway. Vegas is not going anywhere.

        • Horsecook@sh.itjust.works
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          2 days ago

          Vegas is not going anywhere.

          The only reason Vegas is more than a couple truckstops is because it once had a near-monopoly on legal gambling in the United States. That is no longer true. Las Vegas is going to see a collapse that rivals Detroit.

          • someguy3@lemmy.world
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            2 days ago

            Vegas is a destination to its own now. Collapse isn’t happening. Give your head a shake.

            • Horsecook@sh.itjust.works
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              2 days ago

              Sure, but the people aren’t coming to see Red Rock and the Mormon Fort. They’re coming to see washed-up musicians performing in poorly constructed event venues, which can be done anywhere.

              • someguy3@lemmy.world
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                2 days ago

                It’s an experience now. You can disagree with it, but it is. It hasn’t been just for gambling for a long time.

        • Tollana1234567@lemmy.today
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          2 days ago

          vegas is declining, it will collapse sooner or later. they are tyring to stave that off with sports stadiums, they dont see the money in gambling anymore.