drought

As most of you are well aware, last week was a snow week in Washington, DC, and the odds are pretty good that there‘s something like that going on for you as well.

Our good friends in the conservative community have seized upon the moment as proof that this whole “global warming” thing is just a big scam perpetrated by the likes of Al Gore and his Legion Of Weather Nazis; their mission being only to deprive the American people of their Constitutional right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of a Ford Super Duty F-450 King Ranch Edition with the Heavy Service Suspension Package, Snow Plow Prep Package, Transmission Power Take-Off Provision, dual alternators, and supplemental cab heater.

To drive the point home, last week Senator James Inhofe’s family went to the time and trouble to build a little igloo on the National Mall for our amusement.

But here’s a question: just what has the weather been like in other places—for example, in my part of the world...or in the Senator’s home State of Oklahoma?

It’s a good question—and the Senator won’t like the answer.

I'm not a gambling kind of guy, but if I were, I'd bet that the odds of North Carolina running into these kinds of problems are pretty darn good. If such a scenario had a fifty percent likelihood of unfolding in America's 50 year future, or more specifically, in North Carolina's fifty-year future, what actions would be appropriate for government to take? Cross your fingers and hope the free market will "eventually" succeed? Impose regulations that limit high-consumption uses of water? Pray for rain? Institute the North Carolina Water Lottery? I wonder what the Puppets would say?

North Carolina is the only state in the country where every part of the state is in a designated Drought condition. Even if you’ve been living under a rock and have missed the media attention you can’t have failed to notice the drying earth beneath you.

If the fall weather has you thinking the drought in North Carolina has run its course, think again. Here in the Triangle, we are now officially approaching what any sane person would call "dire straits." The NC Conservation Network has a good report out today:

North Carolina is in the midst of a serious drought with over 56.6% of the state classified as exceptional drought—the worst level there is. Making small changes in your daily water consumption can help but there are other things our state can be doing to better prepare for water shortages. We are urging state leaders to:

1. Set statewide water use efficiency standards,
2. Require local governments to consider water availability before approving new development; and
3. Replace our outdated water rules with a comprehensive law that meets the state’s current needs.

Photo from N&O story.