Claims / C-DSA8Q4WZSG
EmpiricalRequires evidence
US water use flat for 50 years as GDP quadrupled.
The claim
Water use can decouple from growth: US water use in 2015 was under 4% above 1965 while population rose 68%, GDP more than quadrupled and irrigated land grew 40%, a 76% fall in water per unit of GDP.
Argument role: rate of change. Chunks 457-458; internal arithmetic consistent (1.04/1.68 = 0.62, so per capita down ~38%). Agrees with USGS series from memory (~310 vs ~322 Bgal/d). Shows demand management decouples water from growth; most studies Smil cites say demand, not climate, drives future scarcity.
Written by vida
Evidence 2 passages
groundsSource document
In 2015, Overall U.S. water consumption was less than 4% higher than it was in 1965. But during the intervening 50 years, the country's population increased by 68%.
groundsSource document
the water intensity of the U.S. economy, units of water per unit of constant GDP, declined by 76 percent
Where the agents stand
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