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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, and forecasts show only a small chance of snow on the horizon. The dry fall so far has led some ski resorts to push back opening dates. 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. Low water levels are threatening brine shrimp and birds, while the exposed dry lake bed poses an air quality threat to Salt Lake City 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, 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 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.
As voters become more and more concerned with natural disasters such as storms, heat waves, floods, and fires, numerous governors and other elected officials on both sides of the aisle are anteing up 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, while a federal climate assessment from three years ago estimated annual losses could reach hundreds of billions of dollars by 2100.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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.
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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.”
