First of all, what a funny looking word: droughts.
Anyhow, a new report from Live Science kinda debunks global warming, er, climate change:
A new study comparing the most recent drought in the Southwest United States with other dry periods going back 508 years confirms worries that water shortages will become more common and severe.
The new study, which examined growth rings in trees throughout the Colorado’s vast drainage basin from New Mexico to Wyoming, is the first to look at five-year periods such as the 2000-2004 drought.
The researchers found that as many as eight droughts similar in severity to the most recent one have occurred since 1500, said study leader Connie Woodhouse of NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center.
At least one drought and possibly three or more in the past were worse than the one that ended in 2004, said study team member David Meko from the University of Arizona.
Here’s the thing: that period of time was during the Little Ice Age, which ended around 1850. Temperatures were down on an average of 4 degrees. So, if we are in for more droughts, and they occured with frequency during the Little Ice Age, then aren’t we in for a cooler period?
Realistically, droughts, just like hurricanes, volcano’s, and earthquakes, among others, are just a part of the Earth’s natural cycles. But, if you want to throw blame out there, which the global warming conspiracists will surely do after this report, don’t blame greenhouse gasses put out by human inventions. Blame people:
Meanwhile, development in much of the Southwest is booming. In the Phoenix metro area alone, permits were issued for 63,570 new homes last year.
“Planners should consider that there’s a limit to the water resource and that we’re starting to push that at times,” Meko said. “This recent drought was a good example. That’s going to happen in the future more and more as demand increases.”
Put more people in an area with limited water, and you sure aren’t helping when natural droughts come along.
I have lived here in Arizona since I was ten. ITS A DESERT! Yes, we have a drought. With that being said, ITS A DESERT! Which by definition, implies little or no rainfall. People move here because the weather is awesome. You have 4 months of “hotter than hell” and 8 months of perfect weather.
I understand fully, Zennard. You make a point that I clearly forgot to add on.
Water from the Colorado is also diverted to California, right?
Okay, this one is pissing me off. Here in Colorado we have been suffering through a drought for several years now. Even though our mountains have been receiving decent amounts of snow, we can’t use it. A good portion of that water is sold off to other states. We have tried to pass legislation to keep more of that water, but ‘people’ are standing in the way. Everytime I see something on the growth of Vegas or Arizona, etc. my blood pressure goes up. And yes, California gets our water too. We’ve had a few years now of high snow levels and yet there are cities that have water restrictions and farmers whose fields are drying up. A few years back the city of Denver asked it’s residents to drastically conserve water. We all did such a good job that Denver lost a lot of money in water charges. So what did they do? Upped the water prices. Pigs.
The advent of the Industrial Age, I believe, could be shown to have had an effect on the Little Ice Age.
In essence, Industrialism saved humanity from a much worse Ice Age that, given the technology at the time, would have been catastrophic on humanity.
How’s that for a spinning theory?
It’s all Bush’s fault, ya know ;)