If you live in Southern California, better get used to seeing thermometers rise
As if the drought in California weren't bad enough, scientists are predicting Los Angeles temps are going to
start heating up:
By 2050, parts of Los Angeles County are forecast to experience triple or quadruple the number of days of extreme heat if nothing is done to control greenhouse gas emissions, placing further demand on the region’s drinking water and electricity, according to two new reports by UCLA scientists.
That could mean that by mid-century, downtown Los Angeles could see an average of 22 days of extreme heat — days in which the high temperature exceeds 95 degrees — up from an annual average of six days recorded between 1981 and 2000.
And if 2050 looks bad, take a look at 2100:
The situation is even worse by the year 2100. By then, downtown Los Angeles could face a total of 54 days of extreme heat a year, and the San Gabriel Valley, 117 days. By then, Palm Springs could see nearly half a year — 179 days — of soaring temperatures.
What are the primary drivers of this change? Climate change.
“So you’ve got increasing population, increasing greenhouse gases, more extreme heat days, higher energy demands — so the whole thing snowballs,” he said. “That’s an appropriate term because there’s no snow,” he said, referring the disappearing snowpack in the Sierra Nevada.
What else happens when the temps soar? Plants and vegetables needs even more water. And we know that when it comes to water,
California is in a bad, bad way.
Meanwhile, companies like Nestlé Waters continue to pump California's most valuable resource–water–at unprecedented rates.
Time to get it together, California–before it's too late. There needs to be a massive change in our culture in general. Less consumption, more conservation. The canary in the coal mine is singing, albeit with a parched voice. Can you hear it now? If any state can lead the way, it's you–the progressive golden state. Do it now before the state motto becomes the scorched, brown state.
Read more about the UCLA study and the impending rise in temperatures in this excellent piece at the Los Angeles Times.