Green Lands for White Men: Desert Dystopias and the Environmental Origins of Apartheid

In 1918, white colonists in South Africa raised concerns about what they perceived to be an increasing aridity of the land. These ideas were promulgated by Ernest Schwarz, a white professor of geology who lived in South Africa. His theories claimed that Black South Africans had squandered the land through misuse and that allowing water to flow to the sea was wasteful. He used his observations of dry lake basins and riverbeds to support his case, and he proposed diverting two rivers to the Kalahari Basin, a large lowland of the country, where if this type of irrigation system worked, white farmers could thrive. His theories were refuted by many scientists and climatologists, but white farmers and politicians supported him. This plan, called the Kalahari Scheme, would theoretically eliminate white poverty in the region. McKittrick (history, Georgetown Univ.; To Dwell Secure) presents a deeply researched exploration of Schwarz’s misguided scheme, showing how the philosophy behind it contributed, in part, to the development of apartheid decades later. She also delves into intriguing parallels with current history, including climate-change denialism.