"Historically, #drought in the West has been caused by lack of precipitation, and evaporative demand has played a small role. #ClimateChange caused by the burning of fossil fuels has resulted in higher average temperatures that complicate this picture. While drought-induced by natural fluctuations in rainfall still exist, there's more heat to suck moisture from bodies of water, plants and soil."
phys.org/news/2024-11-climate-…
Climate change is contributing to drought in the American West even without rainfall deficits, scientists find
Higher temperatures caused by anthropogenic climate change made an ordinary drought into an exceptional drought that parched the American West from 2020–2022.Holly Ober (Phys.org)
CelloMom On Cars
in reply to CelloMom On Cars • • •"#Climate breakdown is “inextricably linked” to the world’s #water crisis, multiple studies have shown, but poor farming practices, overextraction of water, the erosion of soil and destruction of natural vegetation are also factors.
Africa lost about 12% of its GDP owing to the increasing aridity between 1990 and 2015, the report found. Even worse losses are forecast: Africa will lose about 16% of its GDP, and Asia close to 7%, in the next half decade."
theguardian.com/environment/20…
Drylands now make up 40% of land on Earth, excluding Antarctica, study says
Fiona Harvey (The Guardian)CelloMom On Cars
in reply to CelloMom On Cars • • •"At the talks, which started last week and are set to end on Friday, nations are discussing how better they can help the world deal with droughts — a more urgent lack of water over shorter periods — and the more permanent problem of degrading land.
Longer lasting solutions — such as the curbing of climate change — are not much of a talking point at the Riyadh summit."
apnews.com/article/climate-cha…
CelloMom On Cars
in reply to CelloMom On Cars • • •"Researchers looked at compound extreme weather — a one-two punch of heat and drought — and found it increasing as the world warms. But what’s rising especially fast is the more damaging type when the heat comes first and that triggers the drought.
Kim and Yeh said they noticed a “change point” around the year 2000, when everything sped up for heat-then-drought situations."
apnews.com/article/heat-wave-d…
CelloMom On Cars
in reply to CelloMom On Cars • • •"Soil moisture – not just rainfall – is what crops actually rely on. And global climate models show that declining soil moisture is already detectable in many parts of the world, with major implications for farming and water management.
As the planet warms, the atmosphere “pulls” more water out of the soil. This means that even if a region gets more rain, it may lose soil moisture faster than it gains it, leading to long-term drying."
ncas.ac.uk/climate-change-is-c…
Climate change is creating new drought hotspots - NCAS
Harriett Richardson (NCAS)Nicole Parsons
in reply to CelloMom On Cars • • •commondreams.org/news/trump-oi…
We have fossil fuel billionaires & petrostate despots to blame for this ecocide.
nytimes.com/2025/12/20/us/poli…
They are all leaving behind trust funds to finish what they started; the destruction of any democracy acting on climate & ruling from beyond the grave
popular.info/p/charles-kochs-5…
forbes.com/sites/mattdurot/202…
The most corrupt industry on the planet.
nytimes.com/2025/10/27/technol…
Trump started WW3 so Putin can keep his captive markets
aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/9/pu…
Trump to Big Oil Execs: Give Me $1 Billion and I'll Help You Wreck the Planet
jake-johnson (Common Dreams)Nicole Parsons reshared this.