To See the Future, Listen to the Past

While watching the Ken Burns Dust Bowl documentary on PBS recently, it occurred to me that there are some strong parallels between the Dust Bowl of the 1920s and 1930s and the severe problems associated with climate change that Americans are just beginning to face. The Dust Bowl was almost entirely caused by widespread plowing of the virgin prairies on the Great Plains, and planting of wheat crops year after year, with furrows extending farther than the eye could see (the amber waves of grain).