Drought plagued cotton field in Lubbock, Texas just two weeks ago - photo by Betsy Blaney, AP
More than half the state of Texas is now gripped by the most extreme level of drought measured by climatologists and as I look out my window at the lush green strip of lawn in front of the office building across the street, I wonder how long they will be able to keep watering to maintain that look.
A report released Thursday by national climate experts shows that Texas saw the highest levels of drought — rated as “exceptional” — jump from 43.97 percent of the state to 50.65 percent of the state. Folks living in these regions of the state are experiencing thousands of wildfires, dried up grazing land needed for cattle, and the loss of thousands of acres of wheat and other crops.
It has been estimated that Texas farmers and ranchers have already lost $1.5 billion in revenues this year, and officials say if the drought continues into June, losses will top $4 billion, making it the costliest season on record, impacting the entire nation since Texas is the nation’s second largest agriculture producer .
Texas could be well on its way to breaking the record of 2006 as we contemplate this May’s estimated rainfall totals, which were only about 1-1/2 to 1-3/4 inches of rain across the state. This would make the March-May spring period the driest on record once the totals are confirmed.
Texas has a long history with droughts, but it is still early and we will have to wait a bit to determine how this year ranks in the history of Texas droughts, but it is not looking good and so far the governor’s call for prayer for rain has yet to be answered.
The persistent drought in the south comes even as too much rain has been falling to the north with flooding prompting wide-spread evacuations, and tornadoes spawning as disturbances move through from Dallas north and eastward, devastating communities in their wake. How much weather related devastation do we have to endure before our governments begin to seriously consider means to mitigate the effects of climate change?
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Are you so arrogant and full of hubris to think that you can actually change the climate?
That we have already done, Meresa.
Carol. No we have NOT.
There is NO proof that any of the current climate variation is due to anything other than natural causes. To suggest that any of this is the result human produced CO2 is ludicrous and beyond arrogance.
FACT: CO2 lags global temperature by hundreds of years
FACT: The most recent warming trend began in the early 1700′s with the ending of the Little Ice Age, over 150 years BEFORE we began adding any significant amounts of CO2 to the atmosphere.
FACT: Despite historically high levels of CO2, global temperatures have remained flat for over a decade.
You can produce all the computer models you want, but the simple fact is that the CO2 hypothesis is testable and verifiable, and when you do so, it FAILS.
One day, the “Human CO2 will cause dangerous climate change” hypothesis will take its rightful place alongside “The Rain follows the plow” in the dustbin of history. Or so we hope.
Are you so arrogant and full of hubris to believe our pollution DOESN’T affect the climate?
Are you so arrogant and full of hubris that you deny what 99% of scientists who study the climate have proven?
These “FACT”s you claim are anything but. I suggest to you the Climate Denier Crock of the Week series of videos available on youtube, all of which take your contentions and prove that they are incorrect.
Start with the “CO2 lags temperature” myth, which is here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8nrvrkVBt24
Not at all. I hate pollution. and do whatever I can to minimize my contribution to it.
But CO2 is not a pollutant. It is an essential gas which is utterly vital to all life on this earth. If the concentration were to go below about 100-150 ppm then all life would cease to exist. Animal life, including human, begins to have trouble with hypercapnia around 1000 ppm pr more, So we are actually near the lower end of the range of habitablilty when it comes to CO2 levels.
Show me one bit of proof that CO2 is driving global temperature. More specifically show me proof that the 100 ppm of CO2 added since the industrial revolution is responsible for the current drought in South Texas, much less any and all other instance of unfavourable weather we may be experiencing at the moment. You can’t. There *is* no proof, only unvalidated computer models which can barely predict the present, much less the future..
Saying “the science is settled” without producing evidence of same is nothing but circular reasoning and Argument From Authority. Useless.
FYI:
http://icecap.us/images/uploads/TXp.jpg