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Archive for December 31st, 2014
California Droughts Could Have Dangerous Ripple Effects
Posted by LiveScience: Laura Poppick on December 31st, 2014
LiveScience: Epic droughts like the one gripping California for three years now may become more frequent in the future due to climate change, according to new research. This will not only strain the drinking-water supplies for California's 38 million people, but will also induce a cascade of other hazards — including fires, floods and poor water quality — as populations continue to grow statewide, scientists say. Despite heavy rains this month, 78 percent of California is still experiencing either exceptional...
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In Migrant Camp, Calif Drought Brings Familiar Desperation
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 31st, 2014
National Geographic: "They were hungry, and they were fierce. And they had hoped to find a home, and they found only hatred.-The Grapes of Wrath
Like the fictional Joad family in The Grapes of Wrath, I'd dreamt of eating fresh peaches picked from a tree. Inspired by pastoral pictures on food labels, I'd imagined wading deep into the avocado orchards, tomato fields, and lettuce farms of California's Central Valley.
Instead, as my family drove the roads bisecting Highway 99 during a hot week in July, we passed unplanted...
Himalaya future is warmer, not brighter
Posted by Washington Post: Juliet Eilperin on December 31st, 2014
CNN: As snow layered the trail before him, Hari Chaudhary thought it was odd. The veteran trekking guide had never seen snow on the trail in early October. The popular 21-day Annapurna Circuit takes trekkers in a horseshoe-shaped route around a majestic segment of the Himalayas in Nepal. On the 10th day of the tour, Chaudhary and his clients, two young Israeli women, were descending from the highest point of the trail, Thorung La Pass, to the next destination, a walk that would normally take about seven...