The word "drought" right now in California is confusing. This winter has, unexpectedly, been a wet one. In fact, the past week alone has brought about eight inches of rain to Santa Barbara County, and a recent report shows less than 20 percent of California in drought.
And yet, scientists say we should prepare for hotter, drier years ahead and as climate change intensifies, water is becoming more scarce in communities around the world.
So what does all of this mean for Santa Barbara, which has spent over $70 million on its desalination plant? What does it mean for farmers in the Central Valley, drilling deeper and deeper for water? And as we look abroad, what about indigenous populations in East Africa, who are resorting to violence to secure fresh water?
In a special live broadcast from Santa Barbara, KCRW's Jonathan Bastian speaks with three water experts who take us on a local, state and global tour of the people and places being impacted by water instability. We travel from an organic farm in Goleta to sinking land in the Central Valley and the fragile Turkana region in northwest Kenya.