** Climate impacts drive need for adaptation
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Tuesday, November 23, 2021
Climate change impacts collage, N ([link removed]) OAA ([link removed])

As we move toward the Thanksgiving holiday, headlines are highlighting the many varied impacts of climate change on Western states and life, a cascading sequence of events that scientists have long warned about.

As of yesterday, Denver broke a record for the latest measurable snow ([link removed]) , and forecasts show only a small chance of snow on the horizon. The dry fall so far ([link removed]) has led some ski resorts to push back opening dates ([link removed]) . Low-snow years and high evaporation rates are driving an ongoing Western drought, and the Great Salt Lake in Utah has been reduced to a puddle of its former self ([link removed]) . Low water levels are threatening brine shrimp and birds
([link removed]) , while the exposed dry lake bed poses an air quality threat to Salt Lake City ([link removed]) and may further disrupt water supply in the surrounding ecosystem.

In the Klamath River Basin on the border of Oregon and California, there’s no longer enough water to go around to meet the needs of farmers and Native American populations as well as fish and birds ([link removed]) , exacerbating conflicts in the region. And in the nearby Pacific Northwest, scientists are examining how heat waves such as this summer's 'heat dome' are warping ecosystems ([link removed]) and driving die-off events.

All of these impacts point to the need to control greenhouse gas emissions and prevent further climate change from exacerbating such challenges. At the same time, the reality is that many climate impacts are already here to stay for the foreseeable future—and adapting to those impacts, an entirely different challenge, is a winning political issue, even in more conservative states ([link removed]) .

As voters become more and more concerned with natural disasters such as storms, heat waves, floods, and fires ([link removed]) , numerous governors and other elected officials on both sides of the aisle are anteing up ([link removed]) to try and stave off the societal impacts of climate change (even if they aren't calling it that). The U.S. has spent nearly $700 billion on disaster control since 2017 ([link removed]) , while a federal climate assessment from three years ago estimated annual losses could reach hundreds of billions of dollars by 2100
([link removed]) .


** Happy Thanksgiving!
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The team at the Center for Western Priorities will be taking the rest of the week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. We send the best to everyone for a holiday full of friends, family, and maybe even some time on public lands. Look West will return next Monday.
Quick hits


** BLM grants more time for input on controversial onshore oil sales
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Infrastructure package contains bipartisan plan to plug abandoned oil and gas wells, even as Colorado backslides on bonding
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Loveland Reporter-Herald ([link removed])


** Efforts mount to make this sacred, scenic Nevada treasure a national monument
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Las Vegas Sun ([link removed])


** What to watch as Biden orders release from Strategic Petroleum Reserve
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E&E News ([link removed]) | Denver Channel ([link removed])


** Adapting to climate is a winning issue—even in red states
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E&E News ([link removed])


** Bridging the divide between Indigenous cultural knowledge and academic research to create water wisdom
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Eos ([link removed])


** Interior head discusses Chaco protections ‘millennia in the making’
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Associated Press ([link removed])


** Cloud seeding gains steam as West faces worsening droughts, even as scientists view the technology with skepticism
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Washington Post ([link removed]) | The Hill ([link removed])
Quote of the day
Avi Kwa Ame, our place of creation, is continually threatened, and we remain steadfast in protecting our sacred land. Fort Mojave looks forward to a day like today when we can come together and proclaim the Avi Kwa Ame National Monument.”

—Fort Mojave Tribe Chairman Timothy Williams, L ([link removed]) as Vegas Sun ([link removed])
Picture this


** @I ([link removed]) nterior ([link removed])
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For many animals, fall is a time for migration. Within the last few weeks at @GrandTetonNPS ([link removed]) , five bison, one elk, one pronghorn, and additional wildlife were all struck and killed by vehicles in the park. Slowing down saves lives. #TeamPublicLands ([link removed])

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