Sea levels on a small scale, forest fires initially, water restrictions and are now a hot topic: even before the summer began in the West United States the West is suffering from an unprecedented drought exacerbated by climate change.
About eighty-eight percent of the West was drought this week, including all states in California, Oregon, Utah and Nevada, according to government estimates.
Of the obvious signs of this, affecting more than 143 million Americans, Lake Mead – the national park, located on the border of Nevada and Arizona – is now at the lowest point since it was built in the 1930s.
The lake, which was built when the Hoover Great Lake was built across the Colorado River near Las Vegas, has a power output of 36%, below the range set for 2016.
Officials expect this – but until August
The situation in northern California, which often receives heavy rainfall in winter and spring, is no longer ideal. Lake Oroville, the country’s second largest pool and the largest online segment to provide clean water to 27 million people in California, with 50 meters (165 feet) lower than in 2019.
Restrictions on water use appear to be unavoidable in the coming months, which could be even worse for Western countries, especially for irrigated farmers – who provide the country’s most productive fruits and vegetables.
In California, where its vast almond fields produce 80% of the world’s produce, some farmers are already uprooting trees to conserve water.
As of April 1, the day known as the last snowfall in the region, the snowstorm of the Sierra Nevada – the source of almost one-third of California’s water consumption – was only 60%.
“Of course, the special thing this year is that the snow melts, the water begins to seep into dry mud and evaporate,” John Yarbrough, an employee at the California Department of Water Resources, told AFP news agency.
“Then that’s not uncommon this year, the amount of running we’ve got from the fifth bag.”
According to the US Drought Monitor, one-third of California is currently experiencing “severe drought”, the worst of which.
And the dry soil and the waterless plants create a climate of extreme heat, which feeds the dangerous environment.
Climate experts have issued a stern warning, saying, Las Vegas, could hit 115 Fahrenheit (46 Celsius), more than the record set in 1940.
Officials are deeply concerned about forest fires, which have reached a staggering earlier this year and have intensified. By the end of May, fires in California had already destroyed five times as much as last year.
