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CLIMATE CHANGE Files

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2014-07-28 Overview: Climate Change Impacts on Water

Arizona's climate is becoming warmer and drier. Observed local trends combined with observed and projected global warming trends indicate that winter snow accumulations will continue to decrease in northern Arizona. Consequences include not only decreased ground-water recharge but also substantially increased water consumption for farms, trees, lawns, and gardens. View Document.

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Arizona's Changing Climate

Arizona's climate is changing. It's becoming warmer and drier. Prescott average daily temperatures have increased by seven degrees since 1910. Observed increases in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation, imply global, and northern Arizona, temperatures will continue to increase through the first half of our new century due to the Green- house Effect and its associated global warming. By Dale Meyer, CWAG Science Committee. View Document.

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Climate Change in Yavapai County

In April, 2008, the Citizens Water Advocacy Group (CWAG) co-hosted a presentation by Michael A. Crimmins, Associate Professor at University of Arizona, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; and an Agricultural Extension Specialist. He talked about past and projected global climate change, how it is shown to be human-induced, and focused on the present and future effects of climate change on Arizona and Yavapai County. This is a summary written by Howard Mechanic. View Document.

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Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States

Natural landscapes in the Southwestern United States are changing. In recent decades, rising temperatures and drought have led to drier conditions, contributed to large-scale ecological impacts, and affected many plant and animal species across the region. The current and future trajectory of climate change underscores the need for managers and conservation professionals to understand the impacts of these patterns on natural resources. In this regional assessment of the Southwest Climate Change Initiative, we evaluate changes in annual average temperatures from 1951–2006 across major habitats and large watersheds and compare these changes to the number of species of conservation concern that are found within these places. Report by The Nature Conservancy. View Document.

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The Last Drop: Climate Change and the Southwest Water Crisis

At present, without climate change, the Southwest is relying on the unsustainable withdrawal of groundwater reserves to meet today's demand; those reserves will be drained over the next century as population and incomes grow. With climate change, the Southwest water crisis will grow far worse. Continuing the current trend in global greenhouse-gas emissions will make the cost of the next century's projected water shortage at least 25 percent higher. Adaptation (conservation and efficiency) measures, however, have the potential to greatly lower water use throughout the region. As climate change exacerbates water woes, some adaptation will be essential to stave off unplanned water shortages and restrictions. Bringing the Southwest's water use down to sustainable levels will necessitate either very strong residential adaptation measures, or a combination of strong agricultural adaptation measures (including the elimination of some low-value crops) and moderate residential measures. View Document.

DAILY DROPLET

  • "Ranchers need clean water for their stock, farmers need it for their crops, every employer needs it to stay in business, and every living thing needs it for life... The law needs to be clear to protect water quality and the rights of landowners."
    Mark Udall

  • "Water is the driver of Nature."
    Leonardo da Vinci

  • "When the well is dry, we know the worth of water."
    Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1746

  • "...and since flow of information is to spirit what water is to life, we'd best think about how to keep the pipes free and unclogged."
    Raphie Frank

  • "In an age when man has forgotten his origins and is blind even to his most essential needs for survival, water along with other resources has become the victim of his indifference."
    Rachel Carson

  • "We forget that the water cycle and the life cycle are one."
    Jacques Yves Cousteau

  • "Water is life's matter and matrix, mother and medium. There is no life without water."
    Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1937 Nobel Prize for Medicine

  • "Water is everywhere and in all living things; we cannot be separated from water. No water, no life. Period..."
    Robert Fulghum

  • "It's the water. Everything is driven by the water."
    Mike Thompson

  • "Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over."
    Mark Twain