Natural disaster declared in 1000 US counties and 26 states as drought continues
Not since the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s has America experienced drought as severe as the one that grips that nation this summer. Last week the government officially declared the drought as a ‘natural disaster’ in over 1,000 US counties, a decision that means that farmers who have lost crops will be eligible for taxpayer assistance. The severe drought has affected most of the south-west of the country, parts of the midwestern ‘Corn Belt’ and the south-east. It is the largest declaration of national disaster in US history. As climate change continues to lead to more sever and more frequent extreme weather events the adaptation imperative grows ever greater.
For most people the most significant thing about the Jet Stream was that it made air travel faster flying from the US to Europe. However, climate change has begun to alter the path of the Jet Stream which has allowed areas of low pressure (to the north) and high pressure (to the south) to sit over regions where they wouldn’t normally be found. These changes have been responsible, at least in part, for the flash flooding that has hit the UK, and simultaneously the extreme heat that has affected the US.
One third of US farmers and ranchers are now reporting drought conditions and harvests across the country are failing badly. For many in the south-west the dry weather has brought other hazards with it, namely large wildfires that have caused millions of dollars in damage to the regional economy. The US drought monitor notes that 56% of the country is experiencing drought conditions, the largest extent in more than 10 years.
By declaring a state of natural disaster, the US department of agriculture will be able to release funds and low-interest loans to help farmers who have lost crops.
The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, stressed the importance of agriculture to the US economy and said that the government needed to understand that "drought and weather conditions have severely impacted on farmers around the country."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the six months to June were the warmest on record in the US; with 27 states to the east of the Rocky Mountains setting temperature records.
Earlier in the year farmers were predicting a bumper crop of corn; as 96m acres of the crop were planted. By June just 40% of the crop, which had been brought on by an early spring, was in good condition; the plants wilting in the extreme heat.
The latest emergency declaration from covers parts of California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Delaware and Hawaii. However, Iowa, the country’s largest corn producer, is not covered by the measure.
The agricultural sector is an early outlier that signals the impacts that other industries can expect to face as a result of climate change. Understanding how to adapt to new conditions to minimise risks and capitalise on opportunities presented by climate change could be the difference between success and failure as climate impacts become more visible and severe.
<http://www.acclimatise.uk.com/index.php?id=9§ion=blog&resource=&blog=299&buytool=>
Not since the Dust Bowl era of the 1930s has America experienced drought as severe as the one that grips that nation this summer. Last week the government officially declared the drought as a ‘natural disaster’ in over 1,000 US counties, a decision that means that farmers who have lost crops will be eligible for taxpayer assistance. The severe drought has affected most of the south-west of the country, parts of the midwestern ‘Corn Belt’ and the south-east. It is the largest declaration of national disaster in US history. As climate change continues to lead to more sever and more frequent extreme weather events the adaptation imperative grows ever greater.
For most people the most significant thing about the Jet Stream was that it made air travel faster flying from the US to Europe. However, climate change has begun to alter the path of the Jet Stream which has allowed areas of low pressure (to the north) and high pressure (to the south) to sit over regions where they wouldn’t normally be found. These changes have been responsible, at least in part, for the flash flooding that has hit the UK, and simultaneously the extreme heat that has affected the US.
One third of US farmers and ranchers are now reporting drought conditions and harvests across the country are failing badly. For many in the south-west the dry weather has brought other hazards with it, namely large wildfires that have caused millions of dollars in damage to the regional economy. The US drought monitor notes that 56% of the country is experiencing drought conditions, the largest extent in more than 10 years.
By declaring a state of natural disaster, the US department of agriculture will be able to release funds and low-interest loans to help farmers who have lost crops.
The agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, stressed the importance of agriculture to the US economy and said that the government needed to understand that "drought and weather conditions have severely impacted on farmers around the country."
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) the six months to June were the warmest on record in the US; with 27 states to the east of the Rocky Mountains setting temperature records.
Earlier in the year farmers were predicting a bumper crop of corn; as 96m acres of the crop were planted. By June just 40% of the crop, which had been brought on by an early spring, was in good condition; the plants wilting in the extreme heat.
The latest emergency declaration from covers parts of California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, Indiana, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida, Delaware and Hawaii. However, Iowa, the country’s largest corn producer, is not covered by the measure.
The agricultural sector is an early outlier that signals the impacts that other industries can expect to face as a result of climate change. Understanding how to adapt to new conditions to minimise risks and capitalise on opportunities presented by climate change could be the difference between success and failure as climate impacts become more visible and severe.
<http://www.acclimatise.uk.com/index.php?id=9§ion=blog&resource=&blog=299&buytool=>
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