For areas devastated by the ongoing drought, like California, people are beginning to take action to adapt. It’s really not clear how long the drought will last, so measures are being forced by the state to conserve water as much as possible.
Is it really possible Californian’s only have one year left?
NASA seems to think so, and the state and its residents are getting serious about cutting back on water where they can, including sprinkler use, shower time, leaky pipes, and new landscapes. Some are even taking advantage of the rebate programs offered to those who replace natural lawn with waterless artificial lawn.
“California has no contingency plan for a persistent drought like this one (let alone a 20-plus-year mega-drought), except, apparently, staying in emergency mode and praying for rain,” Famiglietti wrote. “In short, we have no paddle to navigate this crisis.”
Nasa data shows that water storage has been in steady decline in California since at least 2002, before the drought began.