When the forest is dry in the spring, it leads to an early fire season and bigger fires.  This is exactly what’s been happening in the West for at least the past decade or so.  These warm, dry winters are just one of many signs that we are heading into a drought of epic proportions, especially in the Southwest, as we talked about in a previous post.  Just to recap, if we keep burning fossil fuels and emitting CO2 at the current rate, we can expect: An 80% chance of a mega-drought lasting 35 years in the Southwest and Central Plains A drought with no equal in human history, greater by far than the Dust Bowl era Huge economic and health impacts The  economic risks of drought Read More …

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