‘Devastation’: South Shasta County residents deal with drought conditions not seen in 100 years

Redding Record Searchlight

‘Devastation’: South Shasta County residents deal with drought conditions not seen in 100 years

Damon Arthur – August 29, 2022

Ed Roberts drives his truck out into Bill Robison's, left, orchard to fill barrels used to water Robison's walnut trees. Roberts' wife, Elaine Roberts, helps carry hose. — Ed Roberts drives his truck out into Bill Robison’s, left, orchard to fill barrels used to water Robison’s walnut trees. Roberts’ wife, Elaine Roberts, helps carry hose.

Bill Robison has a “lifesaver” who drives a 1973 Ford truck.

A couple times a week, Ed Roberts rolls up to Robison’s house with a 500-gallon tank of water in the bed of his pickup. The truck bounces out into Robison’s orchard along Balls Ferry Road in Anderson, where the two fill barrels with water.

At this time of year Robison usually floods his pecan and walnut orchards with irrigation water from the Anderson-Cotttonwood Irrigation District.

But for the first time in its 106-year history, the district this year did not supply water to residents in southern Shasta and northern Tehama counties.

Residents and local officials said the effect of losing irrigation has hurt the economy, residents and wildlife.

Laurrie Shaw, whose family owns a ranch off Balls Ferry Road, said a group she belongs to called the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District Water Users Association hired a consultant to assess the impacts on the area.

“He was shocked at the devastation that had taken place at that point, when we still had half of our hot weather left to go,” Shaw said.

Josh Davy, a livestock and pasture advisor for the University of California Cooperative Extension, said cattle ranchers and other growers have been hit hard.

Most of the agriculture in the district is pastureland, Davy said.

“So losing it, it’s not just property value, but the overall scheme, the production. And what’s the fallout to our local stores that supply these people and everything else? So yeah, it’s scary right now,” Davy said.

Drought three years in the making

The third year of the drought began to take shape last winter when the rain stopped falling in January, and the meager amounts of precipitation persisted through the spring.

Due to the drought and reduced water allocations from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, district officials said last spring they did not have enough water to send down its network of canals to its 800 customers.

With no irrigation, the thousands of acres of green pastures and wetlands in the south county died and turned brown and yellow. Scores of trees throughout the 7,000-acre district also withered and died.

Officials with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection have warned that the area poses a fire danger that residents have not seen before.

Several trees in Bill Robison's orchard in Anderson died this year because of the drought. — Several trees in Bill Robison’s orchard in Anderson died this year because of the drought.

The bureau supplies water to most water agencies in western Shasta County, as well as irrigation districts throughout the Sacramento Valley. Most of those agencies had their water allotments cut severely.

Because the district has senior water rights, it is typically immune to having its water allocation reduced by more than 25%, she said.

But the North State has not had a typical water year in three years.

Lake Shasta, a major water source to much of California, was only 35% full and at 57% of average for late August. Even though the lake is low, the water level is about 24 feet higher than last year.

Lake Shasta is primarily filled by rainfall, and precipitation remained low for the North State. Redding has received just over 5 inches of rain since January, less than a quarter of its normal rainfall, according to the National Weather Service.

The U.S. Drought Monitor places most of the North State in an “extreme” drought.

Not enough water to go around

Because of the ongoing dearth of precipitation, A.C.I.D.’s allotment was reduced to 22,500 acre-feet of water, about 18% of what it gets in a normal year, said Brenda Haynes, president of the A.C.I.D. board.

Because that amount had to be spread throughout the irrigation season, from April to October, it was not enough to fill the district’s canals to the point water could flow all the way to Anderson and Cottonwood, Haynes said.

Also a concern was that the district canals aren’t lined with concrete, which would have meant that the water would have soaked into the ground underneath before it reached customers’ fields, she said.

So instead of wasting the water, the district sold it to be used for drinking water by local agencies such as the city of Redding, the Bella Vista Water District, the city of Shasta Lake and Shasta Community Services District.

Some of the water was also sold to use as irrigation to the Tehama Colusa Canal Authority, Haynes said.

More: ‘It’s just scary:’ Farmers and ranchers in Anderson and Cottonwood won’t get ag water

Haynes said many of the district’s customers don’t understand why they did not receive irrigation water this year. Some district board of directors meetings have drawn up to 160 people, and many of them angry that their crops and pastures are dried up, she said.

South county residents have formed the water users association to help spread information about the impacts on the area.

Neighbors helping neighbors

Roberts said he found out about Robison and his orchard through the association.

Robison grows mainly pecan and walnut trees on his 7 acres, but he also has apples, peaches and pear trees.

“But they’re not doing so good. It’s knocked them down bad. I mean, we didn’t get any fruit at all hardly, just little bitty stuff that ain’t worth eating,” he said.

Even though it was only August, the leaves on Robison’s trees had already begun to turn brown.

Many of the trees had dropped early their leaves, littering the ground with dry, brown leaves that crunched as Robison walked through his pecan orchard.

He estimates 15 of his walnut trees and four pecan trees had died this year due to lack of water.

He usually floods his orchard with A.C.I.D. water in the summer months.

But this year Robison has 55-gallon barrels set out near his walnut trees. After he and Roberts fill the barrels, the water slowly leaks out through a small hole at the bottom of each container, like a trickle irrigation system.

Roberts, who lives in the district, has also delivered water to others suffering through the dry summer.

“He’s a lifesaver. I’ll tell you, he’s one heck of a guy,” Robison said of his friend.

Roberts said through the water users association he heard about residents in the south county whose wells had gone dry because of the groundwater level dropping, so he initially delivered water to five people.

“I had the ability and the means, so just I felt like I needed to,” Roberts said.

Roberts fills his tank with excess water from Shasta Sustainable Resource Management, a co-generation plant formerly known as Wheelabrator.

By late August, he was down to supplying water to two people, he said. He no longer bothers to take the tank out of the bed of his pickup unless he needs to haul hay for his own cattle.

Wells go dry throughout Shasta County

The loss of A.C.I.D. irrigation water has a secondary effect beyond watering crops and pasture, said Charleen Beard, a supervising engineer with the Shasta County Public Works Department.

The flood irrigation and the district’s network of canals also recharges billions of gallons into the underground aquifer annually. She said the annual irrigation adds from 30,000 acre-feet to 40,000 acre-feet of water a year.

Haynes said the groundwater recharge from district irrigation is about 77,000 acre-feet annually.

An acre-foot of water is about 326,000 gallons of water, enough to supply water to one-half to one California household for a year.

Without the irrigation water recharging the aquifer, the groundwater table in the area served by A.C.I.D. has fallen, Beard said. However, she said the county won’t know how much until it does measurements in October.

Dozens of residents in several areas in the county are reporting residential wells going dry from Lakehead and Oak Run to Millville to Anderson and Cottonwood, she said.

The county has a program to provide financial assistance to residents who need to drill a new water well or sink an existing one deeper, she said. Countywide, there were 36 applications for assistance, 22 of those in the A.C.I.D. district boundaries, Beard said.

But residents who want new or deeper wells may be waiting for weeks, she said, because well drillers have a backlog of clients waiting for help.

Bill Robison of Anderson fills a barrel to water trees in his orchard. Robison usually irrigates his trees with water from the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District, but the agency did not supply its customers this year.

The county also provides bottled water and delivers water by truck, she said. The well drilling assistance is provided based on financial income qualifications, Beard said.

But bottled and hauled water is free for those whose wells have gone dry, Beard said.

Cattle ranchers sell their herds

Davy said cattle ranchers will likely feel the impact of irrigation shut-offs beyond this summer.

Many ranchers were forced to sell their cows and calves last spring because the pasture they fed on died from lack of irrigation.

“So the cow base in northern Tehama and southern Shasta has significantly dropped. It’ll take years to recover from that,” he said.

Because the bureau did not fulfill its contract to provide the water owed to the district, there have been discussions about whether the bureau would provide reparations to ranchers and farmers, Davy said.

“But we have no idea how that will unfold or whether the water users would even get it at this point,” he said.

Like many other areas withing the Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District boundaries, a pasture that is typically green along Deschutes Road in Anderson has turned brown this year.

Wildlife also takes a hit from the drought

Humans aren’t the only ones affected by the ongoing drought, Shaw said.

The irrigation canals and the pastures around them acted as wetland areas that supported water birds, insects, frogs and other small animals.

“I can’t help but think the terrible impact to natural environment is the most serious aspect of no water. It’s inconceivable that the Mouth of Cottonwood Creek Wildlife Area has been allowed to go dry. Anderson Creek and all its habitat is dead,” Shaw said.

The wildlife area consists of 1,100 acres situated along Cottonwood Creek where it flows into the Sacramento River. The area is owned and managed by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Peter Tira, a spokesman for the department, said that before irrigation cutbacks, the area received water from the A.C.I.D.

Even though water from the district did not flow into the wildlife area this summer, he said the animals living there are drought-adapted and still have access to water in Cottonwood Creek and the Sacramento River.

Mike Berry, a former fish and wildlife environmental scientist, said throughout the area served by the district, the effects on wildlife have been significant.

“There has also been mass killing of field mice, voles, and other small rodents with a small home range that could not travel all the way to the river for water,” Berry said in an email.

“For over 100 years the water has been delivered to them. The death of tens of thousands of these animals seems minor except these all form the base of the food chain for foxes, bobcats, herons, egrets, owls, raptors, snakes, bats etc. This loss of food source occurred at the height of young rearing for most of these species,” Berry said.

Damon Arthur is the Record Searchlight’s resources and environment reporter. He is part of a team of journalists who investigate wrongdoing and find the unheard voices to tell the stories of the North State.

We’re in the middle of sweet corn season: Here are some easy ways to cook, store it

Detroit Free Press

We’re in the middle of sweet corn season: Here are some easy ways to cook, store it

Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press – August 29, 2022

When it comes to produce that is fresh, sweet, and tasty, it doesn’t get any better than sweet corn. And we are smack dab in the middle of sweet corn season.

Loads of yellow, white, and bi-color corn are landing at many metro Detroit local farm markets, independent stores and farmers’ markets.

Fred Block of Block’s Stand and Greenhouse in Romulus said the crop is big and it’s coming in good.

“It’s (corn season) in full swing with good varieties, good size ears, and good flavor,” Block said.

At Block’s, corn is sold by how many you can fit in a bag. The bags are two for $5 and easily hold a dozen ears of corn.

Ben Phillips, a Michigan State University Extension vegetable specialist, also said this year’s corn season in Michigan is excellent.

While there was a little dry stress early, Phillips said rains were well timed, pollination happened and pests were low.

“There’s a lot of high-quality ears out there,” Phillips said. “Conditions have been good for tip fill.”

For good tip fill, Phillips said, when you’re holding that ear of corn, the tip has to feel “stubby, not pointy.”

“That means all the kernels to the end have filled out,” he said.

Cooking corn

Ever have cooler corn? It’s an easy way to cook corn for a crowd. Yes, that same cooler that keeps beer, pop and foods cold can keep things hot, too.

Here’s how:

Clean your cooler, making sure you wash and rinse it out well.
Make sure you have a lid.
Shuck the corn and place it in the cooler. You can line them up in a single or double row — depending on the size of your cooler.
Boil some water — enough to completely cover the ears by an inch or more.
Cover with the lid. Let sit at least 30-45 minutes or until the corn is cooked. If you like you can throw in a stick of butter too.

Silk-free microwave corn

A few minutes in the microwave and how you remove the husk leads to silk-free corn.

Here’s how:

Leave the corn in the husk but remove as much of the silk as you can. I use scissors to trim it away.
Place the corn on a microwave-safe plate or dish. Microwave on high for about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the ear.
The corn will be hot so use oven mitts or a towel to remove it from the microwave.
Place corn on a work surface and cut about ½-inch off the larger end.
Holding the silk end, squeeze or twist the husk so the ear of corn slips out. The silk stays in the husk.

Storing corn

Store freshly picked corn in a bag in the refrigerator and use it within a few days. Do not remove the husk.
Corn also freezes beautifully. Cut the kernels from the cob and place them in a freezer-quality bag and in the freezer. There’s no need to blanch the corn. You can also freeze cooked corn.
You can also freeze the whole cobs of corn. Remove the husk and silk and blanch in boiling water 3-4 minutes. Place in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Pat corn dry and place in a freezer bag, pressing out as much air as possible.
To easily cut corn from the cob, break the ear in half. Stand the ear on the cut side and slice kernels from top to bottom. Having two smaller pieces standing upright is easier than trying to cut the kernels from a whole ear.

California lawmakers approve landmark fast food workers bill

Associated Press

California lawmakers approve landmark fast food workers bill

Don Thompson – August 29, 2022

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Monday approved a nation-leading measure that would give more than a half-million fast food workers more power and protections, over the objections of restaurant owners who warn it would drive up consumers’ costs.

The bill will create a new 10-member Fast Food Council with equal numbers of workers’ delegates and employers’ representatives, along with two state officials, empowered to set minimum standards for wages, hours and working conditions in California.

A late amendment would cap any minimum wage increase for fast food workers at chains with more than 100 restaurants at $22 an hour next year, compared to the statewide minimum of $15.50 an hour, with cost of living increases thereafter.

“We made history today,” said Service Employees International Union President Mary Kay Henry, calling it “a watershed moment.”

“This legislation is a huge step forward for workers in California and all across the country,” she said as advocates offered it as a model for other states.

The Senate approved the measure on a 21-12 vote, over bipartisan opposition. Hours later the Assembly sent it to Gov. Gavin Newsom on a final 41-16 vote, both chambers acting with no votes to spare.

Debate split along party lines, with Republicans opposed, although three Democratic senators voted against the measure and several did not vote.

“It’s innovative, it’s bringing industry and workers together at the table,” said Democratic Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, who carried the bill in the Senate. She called it a “very, very well-balanced method of addressing both the employers, the franchisees, as well as the workers.”

Almost every Republican senator spoke in opposition, including Sen. Brian Dahle, who also is the Republican nominee for governor in November.

“This is a steppingstone to unionize all these workers. At the end of the day, it’s going to drive up the cost of the products that they serve,” Dahle said. He added later: “There are no slaves that work for California businesses, period. You can quit any day you want and you can go get a job someplace else if you don’t like your employer.”

Restaurant owners and franchisers cited an analysis they commissioned by the UC Riverside Center for Economic Forecast and Development saying that the legislation would increase consumers’ costs. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration also fears the measure would create “a fragmented regulatory and legal environment.”

The debate has drawn attention nationwide, including on Capitol Hill where Democratic U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna has expressed hope it will trigger similar efforts elsewhere.

It’s “one of the most significant pieces of employment legislation passed in a generation,” said Columbia Law School labor law expert Kate Andrias. She called it “a huge step forward for some of the most vulnerable workers in the country, giving them a collective voice in their working conditions.”

The bill grew out of a union movement to boost the minimum wage and Andrias said it would “work in conjunction with traditional union organizing to give more workers a voice in their working conditions.”

International Franchise Association President and CEO Matthew Haller countered that the legislation “is a discriminatory measure aimed to target the franchise business model to bolster union ranks.”

Organizations representing Asian, Black and LGBTQ businesses sent a letter to senators Monday arguing that the measure would harm minority owners and workers.

Next year’s food crisis will be different from this year’s. Here’s how it could change — for the worse — in 2023.

Business Insider

Next year’s food crisis will be different from this year’s. Here’s how it could change — for the worse — in 2023.

Huileng Tan – August 28, 2022

The food crisis could worsen in 2023, with a supply squeeze overtaking logistical constraints as the key challenge.

The Ukraine war has disrupted sowing and other farm activities, which has affected yields.

Elsewhere, farmers are using less fertilizers due to high prices, which could depress harvests.

The pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the ensuing supply-chain chaos have collectively driven up the prices of everything from wheat and sunflower oil to lemons and avocados.

While the supply-chain has been in a state of disruption since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, the dislocations have been compounded by the war between Russia and Ukraine, both of which are major wheat exporters. This has contributed to food inflation that’s hitting the most vulnerable especially hard, according to Mercy Corps, a humanitarian organization that distributes aid to the needy globally.

“Skyrocketing food prices in 2022 have meant that the cash assistance we provide vulnerable families doesn’t go as far,” Tjada D’Oyen McKenna, the CEO of Mercy Corps, told Insider. “The main constraint to accessing food is decreased purchasing power coupled with increased food prices.”

Last month, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement brokered by the United Nations and Turkey that allows Ukraine to restart grain exports out of the Black Sea. The move has offered some relief to global markets: The UN Food and Agriculture Organization Food Price Index — which tracks a basket of commonly trade commodities — fell for the fourth consecutive month in July after hitting a record high earlier in 2022.

But, the price declines are unlikely to trickle down to the consumers immediately.

“While many food prices have been decreasing in recent weeks, with some returning to prewar levels, markets will continue to be volatile and even if global prices come down, local markets may not see price adjustments for upwards of a year,” said McKenna.

And by then, we could see a new chapter in the food crisis that could push up prices again. Here’s how the food crisis could change — for the worse — in 2023.

This year, it’s a logistics problem. Next year, it could be a supply issue.

This year’s food crisis is mostly due to a logistics disruption tied to issues in shipping Ukrainian and Russian grains out of the countries. But next year, the food supply itself could be in peril — particularly in Ukraine.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, threw a wrench into the annual farm cycle and disrupted the spring sowing season in April and May. Another sowing cycle takes place from September to November.

In July, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy took to Twitter to warn that the country’s farm harvest could be halved this year due to the war. “Ukrainian harvest this year is under the threat to be twice less,” Zelenskyy tweeted.

In an August 17 report, consultancy firm McKinsey forecast a sharp drop in harvest volumes: It estimates Ukraine’s production of grains, such as wheat, will drop by 35% to 45% in the next harvesting season.

“The ongoing conflict is interfering with farmers’ ability to prepare fields, plant seeds, and protect and fertilize crops, which will likely result in even lower volumes next harvest season,” McKinsey wrote in the report about global food security amid the Ukraine war and impact from climate change.

Per McKinsey forecasts, Ukraine’s harvest will be 30 to 44 million tons below normal levels this year. This is due to fewer plantings on an acreage basis, reduced farmer cashflow as much of their last harvest can’t be shipped, and the possibility of grain left untended or unharvested, the consultancy firm said.

“In the next planting season, due to the war’s disruption of Ukrainian planting and harvesting and combined with less-than-optimal inputs into Russian, Brazilian, and other growing countries’ crops, supply will likely tighten,” wrote McKinsey. The consultancy interviewed local growers and reviewed local data for its report.

Soaring fertilizer prices and climate change add to supply shock

Russia accounted for almost one-fifth of 2021 fertilizer exports, but the war in Ukraine has caused severe disruption to the supply of crop nutrient. Prices of urea, a common nitrogen fertilizer, have more than doubled from a year ago, according to Bloomberg’s Green Markets service. As a result, farmers around the world are using less fertilizer.

“Fertilizer shortages and higher prices for fertilizers are also expected to reduce yields in countries that depend heavily on fertilizer imports, such as Brazil. This will likely further decrease the volume of grain on the world market,” McKinsey wrote in its report.

Mercy Corps has observed the same trend. “Farmers we work with in Guatemala have been unable to invest in the next production cycle either because they cannot afford to buy fertilizers and other inputs derived from oil, such as plastics for padding and pipes for irrigation systems, or because they cannot find agricultural inputs in the market,” said McKenna.

Given that the shocks to farming and supply come at a time of extreme climate conditions, including severe droughts in Europe and floods in Australia, McKinsey expects the next food crisis to be worse than those in 2007 to 2008, and from 2010 to 2011.

“The conflict in Ukraine is shaking important pillars of the global food system in an already precarious context,” the consultancy said.

Tips for harvesting and storing summer vegetables | Gardener State

Home News Tribune – My Central Jersey

Tips for harvesting and storing summer vegetables | Gardener State

William Errickson – August 28, 2022

This is an exciting time of the year to be a gardener as many summer vegetables are at peak ripeness and ready to harvest. There is nothing like slicing into a vine ripened Jersey tomato or enjoying an ear of sweet corn that was picked that day.

Whether you grow your own vegetables or purchase them from a local farmer, it is important to know when and how to pick vegetables at the right time, so they are at their highest quality. Once you have harvested your vegetables, or brought them home from the market, they must also be stored properly so they retain their freshness for as long as possible.

With these tips for picking and storing summer vegetables, you can be eating Jersey Fresh all throughout the harvest season.

Tomatoes

For the best flavor, tomatoes should be allowed to ripen on the vine. This means that their full color has developed before they are picked. While most of the time we are talking about a red tomato, there are also many varieties of tomatoes that are different colors such as yellow, orange, pink and even striped! Once the tomato has turned color, gently grasp the fruit (yes, a tomato is a fruit) and twist it away from the plant. Be careful not to damage the skin of the tomato when you are picking them or when you are bringing them home from the market because this can cause them to rot prematurely. Try not to stack too many ripe tomatoes on top of one another in your harvest basket either, as this can also damage them.

Tomatoes should not be refrigerated and store best at temperatures over 50degrees. Don’t wash tomatoes until you are ready to eat them and if you must store a tomato that has already been sliced, then you can put it in an airtight container and put it in the refrigerator. Remember, this is the only time that a tomato should go in the refrigerator as they will get soft, and their quality will decline rapidly.

Corn

It can be tricky to choose the best and ripest ears of sweet corn. The silks at the top of the ear will turn brown and die back when the ear is mature and ready to harvest. If you wrap your hand around the ear, it should feel plump, and you should be able to feel the individual kernels through the outer husk. If you are picking sweet corn in the field and you have identified a fully ripened ear, grab the ear in your hand and twist it away from the plant in a downward motion. It should break off from the stalk easily and you will now be holding some of the best that Jersey has to offer.

More:Edison’s first community garden will help feed those in need

More:Exploring summer gardens in NJ and beyond | Gardener State

The husk should not be removed until you are ready to cook and eat sweet corn because it protects the kernels and prevents them from drying out. Corn can be stored in the refrigerator, but it will have the highest quality if it is eaten on the same day that it was picked. If corn is stored for too long, then the sugars in the kernels start to turn to starch and it will not be as sweet.

Melons

Cantaloupes and other melons must be allowed to ripen on the vine to develop their full sugar content and flavor profile, so it is important not to get impatient and attempt to harvest your melons before they are ready. The skin of a cantaloupe will turn from green to yellowish orange when they are ripe, and the fruit should slip easily off the vine. They will also smell sweet and fragrant like floral honey when they ripen, so don’t be afraid to use your nose. Ripe melons can be stored in the refrigerator for a short time but should be eaten within a week of harvest.

Watermelons will not necessarily slip off the vine the way that cantaloupes do, and they do not give off a heavy fragrance, but there are other clues that we can use to determine when they are ready. Look for ripe watermelons to have a yellow spot on the bottom, where the fruit was in contact with the ground. Those with a trained ear also say that if you tap on a ripe watermelon it should sound “hollow” when you put your ear up to it. Watermelons have a longer shelf life than other melons and should be refrigerated, especially after they are cut.

If you are looking for Jersey Fresh vegetables this harvest season, be sure to check out Cook’s Market every Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Rutgers Gardens, 130 Log Cabin Road in New Brunswick.

William Errickson is the Agriculture and Natural Resources Agent for Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Monmouth County.

Dried-Out Farms From China to Iowa Will Pressure Food Prices

Bloomberg

Dried-Out Farms From China to Iowa Will Pressure Food Prices

Kim Chipman and Tarso Veloso – August 28, 2022

(Bloomberg) — Drought is shrinking crops from the US Farm Belt to China’s Yangtze River basin, ratcheting up fears of global hunger and weighing on the outlook for inflation.

The latest warning flare comes out of the American Midwest, where some corn is so parched stalks are missing ears of grain and soybean pods are fewer and smaller than usual. The dismal report from the Pro Farmer Crop Tour has helped lift a gauge of grain prices back to the highest level since June.

The world is desperate to replenish grain reserves diminished by trade disruptions in the Black Sea and unfavorable weather in some of the largest growing regions. But an industry tour of US fields over the past week stunned market participants — who had been more optimistic — with reports of extensive crop damage due to brutal heat and a lack of water.

Meanwhile, drought is taking a toll in Europe, China and India, while the outlook for exports out of Ukraine, a major corn and vegetable oil shipper, is hard to predict amid Russia’s invasion.

“Even before this week’s news from the crop tour, I have been concerned that we would not see much stock rebuilding until 2023,” said Joe Glauber, a former chief economist at the US Department of Agriculture who now serves as a senior fellow at the International Food Policy Research Institute in Washington. The “opening of Ukraine ports is a welcome sign, but volumes remain far below normal levels.”

Read more: Smallest US Corn Crop Since 2019 Signals Higher Food Costs Ahead

Traders always watch weather forecasts closely but this year the vigilance has intensified — every bushel matters. While corn, wheat and soybean prices have cooled off from record or near-record highs seen earlier this year, futures remain highly volatile. Bad weather surprises from now until fall harvests are finished could send prices soaring again.

An index of grains and soybeans is trading almost 40% above the five-year average and the surge in crop prices has been a major contributor to global inflation. Already, food shortages helped lead to the downfall of Sri Lanka’s government earlier this year when the country ran out of hard currency needed to pay for imports.

The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization’s index tracking food prices fell last month from June, though remains 13% higher from the same period last year.

In the US, corn is the most dominant crop and a lackluster harvest will have ripple effects across the global food supply chain, adding pressure on South America to produce bumper crops early next year. That’s especially the case if China, which is suffering its worst drought since the early 1960s, is forced to import more grains to feed its massive livestock herds and shore up domestic inventories.

After the recent crop tour, officials now estimate that US production will be 4% lower than the formal government forecast. The pinch follows drought-driven shortfalls of US winter wheat as well as soybeans in Brazil, the top grower.

The global farming outlook going into 2023 has market watchers worried. For the first time in more than 20 years, the world is facing a rare third consecutive year of the La Nina phenomenon, when the equatorial Pacific cools, causing a reaction from the atmosphere above it. This could have dire consequences for drought across the US as well as dryness across the vital crop regions of Brazil and Argentina.

And while it’s hard to link the weather in any given year to long-term climate patterns, analysts warn that global warming will be a growing drag on agricultural output in years to come.

READ: Drought Threatens China’s Harvest When World Can Least Afford It

For now, Europe is in the throes of a drought that appears to be the worst in at least 500 years, according to a preliminary analysis by experts from the European Union’s Joint Research Center. Several EU crops are being hit particularly hard, with the yield forecasts for corn 15% below the five-year average, the latest data show.

“With energy prices remaining elevated at least through this coming winter, any major shortfall in corn supplies will have devastating impact on food and feed sectors,” said Abdolreza Abbassian, a food market analyst and a former economist with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization.

In China, historic drought has hit regions along the Yangtze River and the Sichuan basin, hurting rice crops, the country’s top food grain.

India’s rice planting has shrunk 8% this season due to a lack of rainfall in some areas. The government is discussing curbs on exports of so-called broken rice, which is mainly used for animal feed or to produce ethanol in India. Top buyers include China, which uses it mostly to nourish its livestock, and some African countries, which import the grain for food.

India accounts for about 40% of global rice trade and is the world’s biggest shipper.

‘This Climate Thing’

In the US, Nebraska farmer Randy Huls, a participant in the crop tour, is staring down a smaller corn harvest this year due to lack of rain. In the longer term, he’s concerned how changing weather patterns might impact the farm he leaves behind.

“They are predicting the Corn Belt to move north,” said Huls, 71, who raises corn, soybeans, wheat and hogs in southern Nebraska. “We could be a lot drier yet and that’s this climate change thing they are talking about.

“I doubt in my lifetime I’ll see that, but I always wonder about my son and especially my grandsons,” he added. “What are they going to see?”

(Adds food-price index in eighth paragraph. A previous version of this story was corrected to fix a reference to the Black Sea in the third paragraph.)

Have we reached a tipping point on climate change?

New Hampshire Union Leader, Manchester

Have we reached a tipping point on climate change?

Shawne Wickham – August 28, 2022

Aug. 28—Ray Sprague doesn’t try to convince anyone that climate change is real. But the second-generation Plainfield farmer has seen the evidence during his own lifetime that, for him, ends any debate.

It’s not just that the fall frost now comes almost a month later than it used to.

“We’re not having winters,” he said.

Sure, New Hampshire still has cold weather, but the Upper Valley doesn’t get the “straight-through” snow it used to, Sprague said. “When we were kids, it was the end of November, early December until the stuff melted in March or April,” he said. “That doesn’t happen.”- ADVERTISEMENT -https://s.yimg.com/rq/darla/4-10-1/html/r-sf-flx.html

Sprague is not an old-timer; he’s 39.

For decades, scientists have been warning about the effects of climate change.

Lethal floods and wildfires. Drought and violent storms.

Crop failures and loss of habitat leading to food shortages and higher prices. Invasive insects and the new diseases they bring with them.

Rising tides that destroy coastal homes and contaminate drinking water. Warmer winters that threaten the ski industry on which New Hampshire’s tourist economy depends.

But those scholarly, data-driven reports about climate change largely have been ignored by a public busy with more pressing personal and pocketbook matters — and downright rejected by some who believe it’s a hoax.

Lately, however, that may be changing.

Time to change

Have we reached a tipping point?

“I hope we’re at the tipping point, because things need to change,” said Mary Stampone, New Hampshire’s state climatologist. “We still have time to do something about it.”

There’s some evidence. More of our neighbors are putting up solar panels, installing heat pumps and buying electric cars.

TV meteorologists now regularly report the connection between natural disasters and climate change.

American automakers have embraced the transition to electric vehicles — even the iconic Ford F150 and Chevy Silverado trucks soon will have electric versions. New Hampshire auto dealers say they can’t get enough vehicles to meet demand. And California regulators plan to ban gas-powered cars by 2035.

Meanwhile, a divided Congress recently passed the first significant climate-change legislation, which will provide consumer rebates and tax credits for energy-saving measures and spur investments in clean-energy infrastructure.

Public understanding and acceptance of climate change are more widespread today, and there’s a reason for that, said Stampone, an associate professor of geography at the University of New Hampshire.

“What climate scientists were predicting 20 years ago, we’re actually seeing happen now,” she said. “The storms are getting worse, we’re seeing more damage, and it’s hitting more people because we have ever more populated coastlines. More people are in the way of worse storms, so more people are being affected by it.

“That’s an unfortunate way people tend to change their minds,” Stampone said.

Effects already felt

Climate is not the same as weather — but they are linked, Stampone said.

“Climate is the system that drives day-to-day weather,” she explained. “Those larger-scale patterns manifest as short-term weather.”

In many places, the effects of climate change are already hitting people’s wallets, she said.

“There are places that you cannot get insurance,” she said. And in flood-prone areas, she said, “you pay through the roof.”

In seaside communities, Stampone said, “It’s starting to hit home.”

“Whole towns are dealing with this,” she said. “Property values are affected, taxes are affected, and it’s a spiral.”

Extreme weather is making the already difficult job of family farming even tougher, Plainfield’s Sprague said.

This year, he said, “We’re really dry. We’ve had less than 5 inches of rain since the beginning of June.”

And when it does rain, he said, it’s no longer the day-long soaking rains that crops need. Instead, he said, “If you’re going to pick up rain, it’s going to be fast and it’s going to be hard for it to soak in.”

Last year, it was just the opposite. “July a year ago, we had almost 20 inches of rain in a month.”

The volatility makes it difficult to plan, Sprague said. “Are we going to be super dry or are we going to have crazy, high-intensity storms, and lose crops to flooding in the middle of droughts?” he said.

At his family’s Edgewater Farm, they now plant some crops in “tunnels,” a sort of temporary greenhouse, to try to avoid the worst effects of severe weather.

The delayed frosts have extended the growing season for some crops, which is a plus. But certain pests and plant diseases are coming earlier than in the past, and some weeds are staying longer.

“It just feels like a gauntlet, getting through the seasons now,” Sprague said.

Awareness growing

Chris Mulleavey, president and chief executive officer at Hoyle, Tanner & Associates, Inc., said engineers don’t spend time debating climate change. “We’re practitioners, and we address whatever Mother Nature throws our way,” he said.

“Things are changing, which is what the climate does,” Mulleavey said. “So when we look into the future, certainly from an engineering perspective, our job is to protect the health and safety in the designs we make for the public.”

His engineering consulting firm has created a Resilience, Innovation, Sustainability, Economics and Renewables group — something that’s especially attractive to a new generation of engineers, Mulleavey said.

“I’m not sure if it’s a tipping point yet, but I think there’s certainly a larger awareness of it,” said Mulleavey, president of the state’s Board of Professional Engineers.

As an engineer, he said, “I find myself in the middle: Let’s work together to find solutions without this hysteria one way or another.”

Dan Weeks, co-owner and vice president of business development at ReVision Energy in Brentwood, said his company is “blessed to be very busy.”

ReVision, which installs solar panels, heat pumps, electric vehicle-chargers and batteries for storage, has grown from 130 employees five years ago to nearly 400 today, Weeks said. “And that’s been in response to growing demand,” he said.

Part of that is driven by the rising cost of electricity, he said. “The source of our power is still free, the sun,” Weeks said. “Which makes it easier and easier to compete with sources of energy that actually at this point in time cost more.”

But there’s another reason.

“We do hear increasingly from clients on both the residential and commercial side that they’re concerned about the state of our climate,” Weeks said. “They’ve got kids and grandkids, and it becomes clearer and clearer with every passing season.”

Weeks sees it himself. “Anybody who, like me, was fortunate enough to grow up here, the winters of today are nothing like the winters we knew growing up,” Weeks said. “You sort of feel it in your bones.”

Sam Evans-Brown, executive director of Clean Energy New Hampshire, said past energy transitions — wood to coal, then coal to oil — have taken at least 50 years. And that’s a good way to consider the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, he said.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and there are going to be so many hurdles from here to a zero-carbon economy,” he said.

Years ago, people predicted that it would take a “horrendous disaster” to wake people up to the threat of climate change, Evans-Brown said. “What I’ve witnessed over the past 10 years is a litany of horrendous climate disasters, but folks have not woken up,” he said. “At least they haven’t woken up at the speed and scale we assumed they would.

“We are immensely adaptable creatures, and we are adapting to climate reality,” he said.

Workforce and supply chain challenges remain a barrier to full implementation, Evans-Brown said. But, he said, “The goal is once you’ve seen solar go up on the roof of your library, and watched them put in heat pumps to heat and cool it, more people will become educated about the quality of these technologies and start to adopt them in their own lives.”

Most consumers still make decisions based on their pocketbooks, he said. “So we have to make it so this stuff is affordable if we want to transform society,” he said.

When that happens, he said, “They’ll sell themselves on the economics; they’ll sell themselves on the public health benefits.”

A range of reactions

Lawrence Hamilton, a professor of sociology and a senior fellow at the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire, has been asking the same question in surveys since 2010: Whether people believe that climate change is happening now, and whether it’s caused mainly by human activities or by natural forces. He also asks whether people think winters have gotten warmer compared to 30 or 40 years ago.

Hamilton has been watching for a tipping point, a seismic shift in public attitudes. He expected that might happen after major hurricanes, and then again after Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical on the environment, which called climate change “one of the principal challenges facing humanity in our day.” Instead, he said, “The behavior we have seen is very gradual recognition.”

It’s “really slow compared with the actual pace of climate change,” he said.

Some of Hamilton’s research focuses on North Country residents, where 65% of those surveyed agree that “climate change is happening now, caused mainly by human activities.” Six in 10 respondents say winters in Northern New England are warmer than winters 30 or 40 years ago.

That’s not surprising; folks in northern regions have seen the changes firsthand, Hamilton said.

“Ski season ends earlier, ice-out is earlier,” he said. “A few degrees can be crossing that 32-degree mark, and can be the difference between liquid and frozen water. And that’s really visible.”

His surveys find that political identity influences both perceptions of winter weather and beliefs about climate change.

Climatologist Stampone said her students give her hope. “This is going to affect their lives,” she said. “We’re talking about their life span. So their passion for it and interest in it makes me very, very hopeful.”

“I just hope it’s not too late,” she said.

Her UNH colleague Hamilton, too, finds hope in the younger generation. But it’s not enough to sit back and wait for them to tackle the problem, he said.

“There’s something that I wish people understood better, which is that all these things cost money, but the cost of doing nothing will just be vastly higher,” he said.

“The future is now,” he said. “The future has come, and we don’t have a huge amount of time to prevent or slow down the unfortunate things that are going to happen.

“Every day we don’t act makes it harder to avoid bad consequences that are in some cases even disastrous.”

Despite the challenges, Plainfield farmer Sprague said he has no plans to quit. Farmers are adaptable, he said.

“They’re a pretty savvy group, and they’ll figure things out,” he said. “We’re in it for the long haul up here.”

It’s not worth trying to convince people who don’t accept that climate change is real, he said.

“I think there’s people, when the world’s on fire, they’ll find a reason not to believe in it,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s worth having that battle.”

7 Signs You’re Secretly Dehydrated (That Have Nothing to Do With Thirst)

Real Simple

7 Signs You’re Secretly Dehydrated (That Have Nothing to Do With Thirst)

Karen Asp, MA, CPT, VLCE – August 27, 2022

Elizabeth Fernandez/Getty Images

Staying hydrated is critical for feeling good and operating at your best. Given that the body is made up of an average of 60 percent water (though this amount varies from person to person), it requires H20 to function on numerous levels. You need more than two hands to count the number of awesome things water does within your body, but some of its main jobs include removing waste and toxins, regulating body temperature, lubricating joints, and improving cellular, tissue, and organ health, says Tamika Henry, MD, MBA, board-certified family physician and founder of Unlimited Health Institute in Pasadena, Calif. Other tasks include aiding in saliva production, proper digestion, and the delivery of oxygen throughout your body.

Throughout the day, we naturally use and lose water—we sweat, we pee, we exhale—and can’t actually produce more of it by ourselves. Therefore, we rely on external sources to replenish properly. When you lose more water than you take in, you’re considered dehydrated. But you probably don’t track whether you’re dehydrated by keeping tabs on your water intake and output—you more likely wait until you feel thirsty. But here’s the kicker: “If you’re thirsty, you’re already mildly dehydrated,” Dr. Henry says.

While thirst is the most common signal of dehydration—and you should absolutely listen to it—there are several other, less-obvious ways to tell if you’re water-deprived, including some mental and emotional markers that may surprise you.

Mental and Physical Signs of Dehydration

You have bad breath.

Bad breath has many causes, including dehydration. Why? Because saliva has antibacterial properties, and the creation of saliva requires water. When you’re dehydrated, salivary production goes down because your body has to do some hydration triage and divert fluids to its higher-priority locations. “The ability to fight odor-causing germs in your mouth may not be efficient [when you’re dehydrated], causing bad breath,” explains Shyamala Vishnumohan, PhD, director of food and nutrition and certified prenatal dietitian at One to One Consulting in Perth, Australia.

You feel hungry.

First things first: It’s very possible that you’re actually hungry, in which case, please eat! But there are times when you feel peckish or notice cravings (often for salty foods) because you’re really thirsty, Dr. Henry says. It’s important to pay close attention to your body and learn the difference—not because you shouldn’t be eating, but because your body is trying to tell you that it needs water. Next time you feel hungry, but aren’t sure why—maybe you just ate or don’t usually feel hungry around that time—ask yourself, “am I dehydrated?” Drink a glass of water and wait about 15 minutes. “More times than not, people are thirsty and not experiencing an actual need to eat,” she says. And heads up, you might be thirsty and hungry, so grab yourself a glass of water and a satisfying snack.

Your head is pounding.

There’s no certain explanation for why headaches occur with dehydration, but experts have a few hunches. “A working theory involves pain receptors in the brain that are attached to the meninges (membrane layers that protect your brain and spinal cord),” Dr. Henry says. Being dehydrated can cause fluid to shift out of the brain, putting pressure on the meninges and stimulating pain receptors as a result. Translation: that headache is a possible clue that you’ve gone too long without water.

Your focus is off.

If you’re having trouble focusing, it might be wise to slug some water. “Dehydration can lead to a lack of ability to focus, causing short-term challenges in performing tasks related to motor and visual skills,” Dr. Henry says. Even mild dehydration can cause cognitive issues, which is why she recommends setting alarms throughout the day to remind you to drink.

You’re constipated.

Constipation is the worst. It’s defined as having less than three bowel movements per week, and it’s common among Americans—roughly 16 out of 100 adults have symptoms of constipation, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. One of the culprits of constipation may be dehydration. Water aids digestion, Dr. Henry says, and in the end, is one of the most helpful keys to keeping things moving and regular.

You’re grumpy.

While lack of sleep is largely responsible for a negative mood—and we all know feeling “hangry” is definitely a thing—dehydration can also play a role in spoiling your state of mind. Feeling cranky, impatient, or annoyed? “Dehydration can cause neurological effects that lead to irritability,” Dr. Henry says. So next time you snap at your partner or the kids, it may have less to do with their behavior and more to do with your need for water.

Your skin feels less elastic.

While dry skin is not necessarily a direct sign of your hydration levels, skin elasticity is. Have you ever pinched your hand to see if it snaps quickly back into place? If it doesn’t, it turns out this is a pretty effective way to tell if you’re dehydrated, Vishnumohan says. To test, use two fingers to pinch your skin on the top of your hand, lower arm, or abdomen. If you’re hydrated, it should tent up and release, snapping back into place immediately. When you’re dehydrated, on the other hand, your skin loses some of that elasticity it needs to snap back immediately.

How Much Water Should You Drink?

The short answer: It depends.

The long answer? Research has found that, “there is no single daily water requirement for a given person.” It’s not easy to say exactly how much you need because it truly depends on a range of factors, including body size and composition, physical activity levels, climate, and diet. If you’re spending time in hot weather or performing strenuous exercise, for example, you’ll need to replace fluids lost from sweating by drinking even more (and don’t forget to replace lost electrolytes, too).

Some experts suggest drinking roughly half your body weight in ounces (i.e. if you weigh 160 pounds, you should consume about 80 ounces of water). And you’ve probably heard the guideline to drink about eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. But there’s no scientific evidence to conclude that these recommendations are the standard, be-all and end-all rule for every individual, Vishnumohan says.

Instead of agonizing over ounces or glasses, aim to drink water regularly throughout the day and listen carefully to your body’s natural cues. Remember that many foods (fresh fruits and veggies!) and beverages besides water (tea, milk, smoothies!) also contribute to your hydration status. Vishnumohan’s hydration habits, for instance, include enjoying a cup of coffee in the morning and a cup of tea at night, eating five servings of vegetables and two servings of fruit each day, and drinking at least one glass of water with every meal.

Forget Covid (and Monkeypox) the Las Vegas Strip Has a Bigger Problem

The Street

Forget Covid (and Monkeypox) the Las Vegas Strip Has a Bigger Problem

Daniel Kline – August 25, 2022

Explosive growth has been a huge positive for the Las Vegas Strip but there are some dark clouds ahead.

Growth comes with a cost, especially when that growth was not in the original plans.

Think of it like you would an old town, versus a new one. In high-growth parts of the country, builders have created something called a “master-planned community,” that’s a town or city planned out fully. This means that before builders put up a single house or erect the first shopping center, they build (or at least plan) the infrastructure needed for the community when it’s fully built.

You can’t easily go back and make roads wider or increase the capacity of the sewage treatment plant. It’s much more cost-effective to plan for what might be decades out than to sort of build as you go (which is pretty much how every major American city was built and explains why those cities have expensive problems ranging from housing to transportation, and well water).

Las Vegas, as you likely know, was essentially built in a desert and it’s highly unlikely that its founding fathers foresaw the megaresorts of today. That has led to a city that has some significant infrastructure problems that need to be addressed as Sin City continues to exponentially grow.

A Period of Triumph for Post-Pandemic Las Vegas

While covid hasn’t actually gone anywhere, Las Vegas has managed to put the impact of the pandemic (and a hopefully brief monkeypox scare) behind it. Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts International, and Wynn Resorts have all reported Las Vegas Strip results nearing or passing 2019 numbers even while the convention and international traveler business has not yet fully recovered.

It’s a hopeful time for Las Vegas which has led to a construction boom with multiple major casino projects, at least one, probably two NBA-ready arenas being built, and even talk of expanding the boundaries of the Las Vegas Strip itself.

That’s all encouraging news for operators including Caesars, MGM, and Wynn, but Alan Feldman, a distinguished fellow at UNLVs International Gaming Institute, believes there’s one major problem which could put the brakes on Las Vegas growth.

Las Vegas Needs More Water

Feldman spoke at the NAIOP Southern Nevada (a commercial real estate group) breakfast meeting at the Orleans on Aug. 18. He warned that not having enough water could create major problems for Las Vegas — and certainly any new construction — going forward.

“This is a huge political discussion, but we’re going to need more water,” Feldman said during his presentation at the Orleans, the Las Vegas Sun reported. “I think, at some point, the federal government is going to have to step in and override some of the debate that’s been happening at the state and regional levels.”

Nevada draws water from the Colorado River which has essentially been providing more water than it actually has so the Department of Interior will be cutting Nevada’s allotment by 8%. The river flows into Lake Mead, a key water source for Las Vegas, which has seen its water levels drop.

Feldman believes there is a solution but does not think the city or even the state can handle the problem on their own.

“At some point in America’s future, we’re going to have to deal with desalination, I don’t see any way around that. That’s not something we’d want to see from the states. We’d want the federal government to step in on that,” he said.

Resorts only use about 5% of the region’s water allotment.

The World’s Rivers, Canals and Reservoirs Are Turning to Dust

The World’s Rivers, Canals and Reservoirs Are Turning to Dust

Brian K Sullivan – August 25, 2022

(Bloomberg) — Rivers across the globe are disappearing.

From the US to Italy to China, waters have receded, leaving nothing but barren banks of silt and oozing, muddied sand. Canals are empty. Reservoirs have turned to dust.

The world is fully in the grip of accelerating climate change, and it has a profound economic impact. Losing waterways means a serious risk to shipping routes, agriculture, energy supplies — even drinking water.

Rivers that have been critical to commerce for centuries are now shriveled, threatening the global movement of chemicals, fuel, food and other commodities.

The Rhine — a pillar of the German, Dutch and Swiss economies — has been virtually impassable at times in recent weeks. The Danube, which winds its way 1,800 miles (roughly 2,900 kilometers) through central Europe to the Black Sea, is gummed up too. Trade on Europe’s rivers and canals contribute about $80 billion to the region’s economy just as a mode of transport.

In China, an extreme summer has taken a toll on Asia’s longest river, the Yangtze. Diminished water levels have hobbled electricity generation at many key hydropower plants. Mega cities including Shanghai are turning off lights to curb power use, and Tesla Inc. has warned of disruptions in the supply chain for its local plant. Toyota Motor Corp. and Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., the world’s top maker of batteries for electric vehicles, have shuttered factories.

Drought plaguing the Colorado River — a source of water for 40 million people between Denver and Los Angeles — has gotten so extreme that a second round of drastic water cuts are hitting Arizona, Nevada, and Mexico. The river and its tributaries irrigate about 4.5 million acres of land, generating about $1.4 trillion a year in agricultural and economic benefits.

The retreating waters of the US Southwest are exposing dead bodies and dinosaur footprints that had been submerged for perhaps millions of years.

Why Are Rivers Shrinking?

The reasons global waterways have dried to a trickle are complex. There’s the impact of the weather-roiling La Nina, prolonged drought in many regions and also simple bad luck. But the biggest driver underpinning the shift is climate change.

“It’s a combination of many factors leading to this particularly extreme event,” said Daniel Swain, a climatologist at the University of California Los Angeles. “But there is clearly a role for climate change, which made multiple underlying, record-breaking, and in some cases, record-shattering heat waves dramatically more likely.”

The Earth’s rising temperatures have meant mountain ranges are getting less snow, leaving less water to flow down to streams in summer during the melt, said Isla Simpson, a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

Mountain snow is nature’s reservoir. When snowfalls dwindle, the source of many rivers — from the US to China to Europe to the Middle East— vanishes, said Swain of UCLA.

“The loss of snow and mountain glaciers in the Alps has been extraordinary this summer as well, shocking even seasoned climatologists and glaciologists,” Swain said.

Then there is La Nina, a cooling of the equatorial Pacific Ocean that upsets global weather patterns, bringing heavy rains to some areas and drought to others. The world is in its second straight La Nina, and the odds are rising 2023 will see another one.

“The ongoing and strong La Nina connects the droughts and low river flows in North America, Europe, Middle East and the southern hemisphere,” said Richard Seager, a research professor at Columbia University’s Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.

The world’s hotter temperatures also mean that waterways are literally evaporating away.

Or as Seager puts it, the warming atmosphere “is sucking more moisture from the land surface.”