Many of the great issues that face this region—and for that matter many other regions—have a common root.

We don’t often think about the root because the issues themselves seem to be relatively independent of each other. But there is a thickening thread that binds them.

First, let’s make a list of concerns: Building Marvin Nichols Reservoir in Northeast Texas. Building a large coal-fired power plant near Fulton, Ark. Building the Trans-Texas Corridor from El Paso to Texarkana. Global Warming. Immigration. Air pollution. Rising gas prices. Rising food prices.