26 states have been declared natural disasters due to drought. Crops are withering. While it’s not possible to tie one year of weather to climate change, this is just another data point in a continuing trend, one that’s going pretty much as climate scientists have been predicting. Another result has been the wildfires in Colorado. Increased rainfall in the Pacific Northwest. These are, most likely, not ‘abnormalities’, but rather the new norm…and we’re nowhere near predicted levels of global climate warming, that’s still decades away (or more, if we don’t find a way to drastically cut CO2 levels). If we were to slash CO2 emissions to zero this year (great TED talk from Bill Gates here on that topic), much of this could be held at the levels we see now (except that sea level rise would continue for quite some time). The chances of that happening are zilch, I’d say. Expect weather extremes to get worse, and be ready to adapt the best you can.
26 states are natural disasters due to drought
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