California screaming: the biggest economy in the US faces catastrophic climate challenges
David McNew/Getty Images
California, the most populous state in the US, faces a future marked by “precipitation whiplash events†– extreme swings between drought and floods – caused by human-induced climate change, according to a team of scientists from the University of California at Los Angeles.
They warn of flooding that “would probably lead to considerable loss of life and economic damages approaching a trillion dollarsâ€.
Their report, published in the journal Nature Climate Change, says California’s rapid shift from severe drought between 2012 and 2016 to heavy rains and widespread flooding during the 2016-17 winter offers a compelling example of one such transition in a highly populated, economically critical and biodiverse region.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/climate/california-screaming-the-biggest-economy-in-the-us-faces-catastrophic-climate-challenges