Report warns western US states to face water crisis

Western US states face brutal droughts over the next few decades as a result of climate change, according to a new US Government report.

Synthesis and Assessment Product 4.3 (SAP 4.3): The Effects of Climate Change on Agriculture, Land Resources, Water Resources, and Biodiversity in the United States, a report from the US Climate Change Science Program, found that the southwestern states were likely to suffer from reductions in rainfall of up to 25 per cent in the years between 2040 and 2060.

The report also warned that climate change was already hitting US water and land resources, agriculture, and biodiversity and predicted that increased crop failures and increased livestock mortality, along with reduced runoff from mountain snow would have a huge impact on the agricultural sector.

Patrick Cummins, project manager for the Western Climate Initiative (WCI), predicted dire consequences for businesses in the western states. "You have a recreational industry in the Rockies related to skiing, and I think people in that business are very concerned about what it could mean," he said, adding that the timber industry could also face similar problems.

With vast reserves of oil found in shale deposits in Utah and other western states, Cummins is also worried that oil companies could try to buy up water rights to support future processing, placing further pressure on water resources.

This month, the WCI released a set of draft recommendations for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 15 per cent below 2005 emissions by 2020, including plans for a regional cap and trade programme.

"We're working with the states and provinces in the western US and Canada to develop a regional plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions because we know that this global problem requires a global solution," said Linda Adams, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Secretary for Environmental Protection.

California currently produces roughly half of WCI member emissions, according to Cummins.

The report combined findings from 13 agencies on climate change, and was peer reviewed by a US Department of Agriculture committee.