2012-08-01T03:30:00Z Current drought is about global warming The Quad-City Times
This drought is different from the drought of 1934 because this drought is driven by global warming. The 1934 drought was the result of weather, not climate. Weather is the natural day-to-day variability. Climate is the long-term average that weather varies around. Global warming moves the rain around, causing both floods and droughts.
The 1934 drought was not permanent. The 2012 drought may be permanent. The weather will still change. We can’t make a two-year weather forecast, but we can say that, by 2060, the Midwest will become a desert if we allow global warming to continue.
If we allow global warming to continue, we will have to irrigate all farms with desalted ocean water. The alternative is no food. It would be much cheaper to convert all coal and natural gas-fired power plants to nuclear now. Renewable energy is too intermittent to power an industrial civilization.
Will there be food for your children and grandchildren? So far, two climate scientists have calculated that, if business as usual continues, agriculture will collapse in the 2050s. To protect the next generation, we must stop burning fossil fuels to make electricity.
Edward Greisch
Moline
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