A new study by researchers at Columbia University estimates how predicted changes in the levels and locations of snowfall will affect water supplies.
Sindya N. Bhanoo reports on a new study lead by Justin S. Mankin, analyzing 421 drainage basins in the Northern Hemisphere that depend for models of how climate change might affect water supplies.
Worldwide, the study's findings indicate that "97 basins, currently serving two billion people, depend heavily on snowmelt. The scientists calculated that the likelihood the basins would receive less snow in the coming century was 67 percent." The two basins most at risk in the United States are already experiencing historic droughts. According to the study, "[t]he most sensitive basins in the United States include those in Northern and Central California, and those of the Colorado and Rio Grande rivers."
FULL STORY: Billions of People Depend on Water From Shrinking Snowpacks
Los Angeles (and Climate Change) Seriously Threaten Air Quality at Mono Lake
With water levels habitually low, officials from the Eastern Sierra say they are "headed for a showdown” with L.A.
Superfund Project to Deliver Massive Water Supply Boon to Los Angeles
The semi-arid region of Los Angeles is often mistaken for a desert, but the local water supply is also constrained by the environmental sins of the 20th century. The water supply equation of Los Angeles will soon change, however.
Ramping Up Recycled Wastewater
States like Colorado and water suppliers in parts of Southern California are expanding the use of recycled wastewater to protect dwindling drinking water supplies.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
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