Panelists answered the following: Do you believe California’s drought is caused by global warming?
Bill Mifsud: “No, though I am not a scientist. Water currents in the Pacific change and unfortunately they are not bringing California an average year of rain. Current weather models predict an above average year of rain in the upcoming year caused by a strong El Nino. I believe it is just a natural occurrence.”
Mary Zanger: “Yes, we in California are experiencing more severe weather patterns. Our forest fires occur with more severeity and greater frequency because of drought-stricken trees and attacks from beetles that multiply in warm weather. What scant rain we do get descends briefly in torrents because warm air holds more water. Yes, excess warming happens in some areas like here in California but other areas like the East Coast experience excess freezing. Climate change rather than global warming is the more correct description.”
Jim West: “No. Exacerbated maybe, but California has been experiencing periodic droughts since time immemorial.”
Richard Place: “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature!”
Marty Richman: “No, it is impossible to attribute any specific weather condition at any time to general climate change; however, if we have a long series of droughts that could be attributable to climate change. Earth’s climate has always been changing and will continue to do so as long as the planet has a hot core, large bodies of water and an atmosphere. I remember during the last Ice Age… but that’s another story.”
Ruth Erickson “No! The world has gone through various thermal stages for millions of years. This is just one of the many droughts California has had.”
