As this administration continues to deny the reality of climate change, it is even more important for everyday citizens to take matters into their own hands and work to improve the state of the world–for us, for our children, and for our children’s children.
Currently, the United States faces a major water problem related to drought, particularly in the West. There is also a risk to other parts of the US, including Alaska, from melting ice caps, and to the Caribbean from hurricanes. As we face increasingly extreme climate events, our approach needs to focus on preserving resources, natural lands, and social infrastructure that support the environment and move us towards climate-resilient communities.
In the United States, the 7 states that occupy the Colorado River region and are part of the 1922 Colorado River Compact are: Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. The Compact provided a historic agreement that meant that the Colorado River would never, at any point within ten years, go below 75 million acre-feet. However, about recent water levels, caused by overuse, overpopulation, and a lack of snowpack and precipitation, this is difficult to establish, as the West faces a decades-long drought, especially this year.
Unfortunately, even though precipitation levels might remain the same in the Southeast, higher temperatures mean increased water use for drinking and agriculture. In the Midwest and Great Plains states, aquifers are experiencing slower aquifer recharge due to drier conditions and less water availability.
Some of the methods that states are using include California focusing on water storage, Arizona focusing on water recycling and reuse, and New York focusing on preserving green infrastructure. Stormwater and rainwater infrastructure are being used to capture and “augment” the water supplies to replenish aquifers. There are also current efforts to establish science-based programs that grow algae and can desalinate seawater to increase its usage instead of using too much freshwater–this would apply to agriculture, particularly in the Southwest, such as in California.
Another way to better manage drinking water is to replace aging pipe infrastructure and create more efficient water distribution systems to reduce water overuse. This is something that the EPA has been working on for several years in conjunction with local municipalities and state governments. Drought-stricken states are monitoring the usage of water for landscaping purposes such as Colorado and Utah and starting programs such as providing incentives for homeowners to utilize and continue maintenance of these plants.
Finally, in the Southeast, academics are working with the EPA to provide products and services for communities in the region to address watershed and aquifer issues while promoting conservation and restoration. There is also a focus on boosting resilience so that these communities can adapt to and weather a higher frequency of stormwater and hurricane-related floods.
As the United States continues to experience climate change with the rest of the world, citizens need to focus on this issue literally from the ground up, and in grassroots movements that will further put pressure on the federal and state governments to implement policy, funding, and programming changes to promote conservation and public health. As this administration continues to deny the reality of climate change, it is even more important for everyday citizens to take matters into their own hands and work to improve the state of the world–for us, for our children, and for our children’s children.
This Post was submitted by Climate Scorecard US Country Manager, Abby Carlson.