Getting Into Hot Water!

According to the US National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), worldwide, the first six months of 2010 have been the hottest on record.

It has not been as bad in the States. “For the US, January to June, this is only slightly warmer than average,” Jay Lawrimore, chief of climate analysis at the NCDC told Reuters.

Nevertheless, warmer temperatures and drought conditions in many parts of the country are taxing aquifers already stressed by heavy agricultural and consumer use—and the situation could get worse.

The “Climate Change, Water and Risk” report, issued by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), predicts over 1,100 counties across the US—one-third of all the counties in the contiguous 48 states—face potential water shortages by mid-century.

Here is the NRDC’s view of US counties in 2050 with no global warming effects.

(c) Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), used by permission.

Here is the same view, calculating in the effects of global warming.

(c) Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), used by permission.

It’s a very different picture, with more more than 400 counties facing extremely high risks of water shortages.

In a disclaimer, the authors of the report say it “was not intended to predict where water shortages will occur, but rather where they are more likely to occur,” but the implications are clear.

In parts of Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas—in particular, in the Great Plains and Southwest, the battle over water sustainability is just beginning, and it will get more intense as every year goes by.

The report concludes: “While water management and climate change adaptation plans will be essential to lessen the impacts, they cannot be expected to counter the effects of a warming climate. One reason is that the changes may simply outrun the potential for alternatives such as modifying withdrawals, increasing water use efficiency, increased water recycling, enhancing groundwater recharge, rainwater harvesting and inter-basin or inter-county transfers to make up for water deficits. The widespread nature of the risk of water shortages may also limit the effectiveness of local solutions—such as acquiring more water from a neighboring county or basin—since many other localities will be trying to get control of the same resource.”

For information on what corporations are doing to prepare, see Water Treatment, Water Treatment Everywhere