Climate scientists have been warning us about global warming for a while now, and one of the things they mentioned was the increased possibility of droughts. Back in 2003 they worried that the changing climate would create stretches of severe dry periods, punctuated by heavy downpours that would create worsened flooding, since the dried-out ground could only absorb the water at a certain rate. Their fears were based on a 1999 study that postulated “that climate change may produce a quasi-permanent/stable El Niño-like condition in the Pacific basin, interrupted by more extreme cold (La Nina) events (Timmerman et al., 1999)”. The scientists were concerned, because if “the frequency of strong El Niños increases, the frequency and severity of droughts and forest fires may also increase”.
Anyone want to guess what’s happened?
Two years ago, conservation scientists like Dr. Reese Halter were cautioning people about the increased droughts and forest fires. He warned “It seems a perfect storm driven by climate over the short, medium and long term is brewing in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans; the three climate patterns are all set to collide and produce a major drought.”
Last summer Texas got hit with the worst drought in it’s recorded history. Texas wasn’t alone. The drought spread across the Southern US and into parts of the Midwest, eventually effecting 33% of our contiguous land mass. There hasn’t been any meaningful reprieve form the dry conditions, either. This year, most of the united states is either too dry, or flat out experiencing a drought. Already, almost 1/4 of the US is experiencing a severe to extreme drought. We may get even drier than we were last year. This is not good.
The US isn’t the only place getting kicked inna gonads by drought. Thanks to global warming, or climate change, or whatever the fokk you want to call it, the whole world is getting deserts where it used to have crops. It is getting to be a nightmare dystopia, fast. By 2060 there will be water wars and starvation on a global scale if we don’t do something drastic, soon.
Sweet Babou and I will probably be dead by then, but our daughters will only be middle aged. This scares the shit out of me for them, and their children. It also makes me extremely cranky vis-à-vis global warming deniers and people who think we can keep on burning resources the way we do with no consequences.
The mega-wealthy, especially the Koch Brothers, are behind the funding and push for climate change denial. The Koch brothers are even funding ways to try to turn children into climate change deniers, even though that goes directly against scientific methodology and research. Even the Koch brother’s pet scientists can’t deny global warming any more, but that’s not going to stop the Koch brothers and their ilk form destroying the world to make a buck and keep their power. People like the Koch brothers don’t want truth, they want lucre and control.
They are Mammon’s boy-toys and they serve him well. In return for all he has given them, they are trying to turn the earth into a new Hell, for Mammon’s comfort and convenience.
Jesus wept.
Gee. What a surprise. Not.
I’m not arguing about climate change. However, I’m aussie, and that map is ridiculous as far as Australia’s current dry spots go. It’s trying to tell me that where I live now is going to be drier than the current inland deserts. There are other parts of the graphic that are ridiculous as well.
If they want to actually convince people, the map has to make more sense.
Actually, I think it’s trying to show how much LESS rain you’ll get compared to what was normal a few years ago. For example, if the deserts always only got 5″ of rain a year, and it drops down to 4.5″ that’s a lighter color than somewhere that normally gets 40″ a year that is dropping down to 30″. Losing 10″ of rainfall a year would make it purple, even if the deserts weren’t noticeably drier.
Ah.. Thanks for clearing that up. I’m a woman that relies on info for a living, lol, but I missed that.