Our climate has changed. We are experiencing extreme, sustained drought conditions in California and across the American West caused by hotter, drier weather. Our warming climate means that a greater share of the rain and snowfall we receive will be absorbed by dry soils, consumed by thirsty plants, and evaporated into the air. This leaves less water to meet our needs.
This is our new climate reality, and we must adapt.
As I’m starting to write this in late August, my state has just released California’s Water Supply Strategy document. Section 2 of this post will cover this. Later sections will reference other posts with information related to this subject, the latest news on the U.S. DOE Desalination Prize, and some early adopter communities that are building desalinization systems.