Learning to Thrive in a Hotter, Dryer Climate
Climate change is leading to increasing temperatures across much of the western U.S. and around the globe.
According to an August 2021 report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change,
scientists have high confidence that for every half degree Celsius (0.9 degree Fahrenheit) the atmosphere warms, noticeable increases will occur in some regions in the intensity and frequency of droughts that harm agriculture and ecosystems.
This is because warmer temperatures enhance evaporation, which reduces surface water and dries out soils and vegetation.
This makes periods with low precipitation drier than they would be in cooler conditions. Higher air temperatures not only encourage drought conditions to build but also intensify them. Warming temperatures also diminish snowfall, an essential water resource for the Northern Hemisphere. Climate change is also altering the timing of water availability. We have seen major changes to the amount and timing of rainfall and snow in the north state over the past decade.
This month, our Collaboration Focus Group looked at adaptations and mitigation strategies that will allow us to become more resilient, create a safer environment for everyone, and help us conserve our vital water resources for the future.
Our Future Doesn’t Have to Dry Up!
Currently, 97.5% of California is experiencing “severe drought” conditions with 60% of California, including the north state region, experiencing “extreme drought”. The drought that has parched California and the American West for much of the past two decades ranks as the driest 22-year period in at least 1,200 years, according to a new study published recently. The future for those of us living in California is predicted to be a hotter, thirstier West, causing more farmland to become fallowed, more desalination projects and other changes in water use and supply.
Cooling Off Heat Island Effects Makes Redding More Livable for Everyone
Warmer global temperatures means more heat for us living in the north state. Over the past 5 years, we have seen extreme heat last for longer periods in our summer months. Heat related deaths (including in Shasta County) represent a public health emergency that will certainly worsen as climate change increases global temperatures.
