Wednesday, May 05, 2004

You're Fired!

Parts of SoCal are dodging a bullet in regards to several wildfires that have been kept in check thanks in part to lower than normal temperatures. I was reminded, though of this article that I ran across a couple of days ago.

Those who worry most about the future of the West — politicians, scientists, business leaders, city planners and environmentalists — are increasingly realizing that a world of eternally blue skies and meager mountain snowpacks may not be a passing phenomenon but rather the return of a harsh climatic norm.

Continuing research into drought cycles over the last 800 years bears this out, strongly suggesting that the relatively wet weather across much of the West during the 20th century was a fluke. In other words, scientists who study tree rings and ocean temperatures say, the development of the modern urbanized West — one of the biggest growth spurts in the nation's history — may have been based on a colossal miscalculation.


Scarce water also means problems with electricity generation--sort of a double whammy in the fast growing region.

I assume the government will eventually step in with grants for study, followed by some sort of project--but there's only so much money to go around. And the cost of war continues to rise.

No comments:

Post a Comment