We know what you are thinking, “how could this be happening?” How could the United States and the State of California let their water situation get this bad and why hasn’t anyone said anything? Well to begin with droughts are a naturally occurring phenomenon. This naturally occurring event though can become crippling to humanity when you add large populations and pollution into the mix. This is exactly what’s happening in California.
Recently conducted NASA observations have led scientists to predict that California’s lands are so dry that they only have about a year’s worth of water supply. New rules regarding conserving water are being discussed – so far all actions have been taken are voluntarily by concerned residents. Issuing fines for not obeying the rules is now being considered.
What doesn’t help is that California has had the 3 hottest years on record. This creates for a higher demand for water (long cold showers on hot days, anyone?) while the heat escalates the drying process. What also doesn’t help is that people use insane amounts of water to keep their gardens (mostly grass) green.
“As our ‘wet’ season draws to a close, it is clear that the paltry rain and snowfall have done almost nothing to alleviate epic drought conditions. January was the driest in California since record-keeping began in 1895. Groundwater and snowpack levels are at all-time lows. We’re not just up a creek without a paddle in California, we’re losing the creek too” says Jay Famiglietti, a senior water scientist at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California
Impacts of California’s drought situation are by no means exclusive to the state, California is a major source of food production for the United States. Don’t be too surprised if you live on the east coast and experience price hikes on your favorite fruits and vegetables.
With climate change acting as a catalyst, we have to make it a priority to test different green energy production technologies to battle this issue before it’s too late.
Here are some of our other posts that deal with climate change issues: