Introduction
Areas with intense temperatures and low rainfall over a long period undergo drought. Many areas worldwide experience drought due to increasing global temperatures, which impact production and the supply of food. One of the US states with a history and current record of droughts is California, one of the largest agricultural producers in the country (Veeck et al., 2020). The California drought has had immense social and economic effects on water supply, agricultural activities, and the environment. All drought-affected areas, including California, experience climate change as intense temperatures cause evaporation, making the soil lose water. Nevertheless, local and state governments are taking action to deal with the drought, including offering drought relief to the affected areas. This text will address the causes of drought, the California drought, the socioeconomic effects of the drought in California, drought and climate change, and the actions taken by local and state governments to address drought.
Causes of Drought
Drought can be triggered by a shift in weather patterns, mainly low rainfall and precipitation in meager amounts. Unlike other natural hazards that are a bit sudden, like hurricanes and earthquakes, droughts occur gradually. When a region experiences low rainfall and precipitation in inadequate amounts over a long period of time, mainly a season, then a drought starts slowly. These regions can experience high temperatures, which results in dry vegetation and low water levels in nearby water bodies and reservoirs (Bogati & Walczak, 2022). Also, winds can cause drought in some areas, especially when dry winds flow from one area to another for a long period of time. Apart from natural causes, drought can also occur due to human activity, which increases its effects.
Deforestation is one of the main human causes of drought. Trees have a significant role to play in the water cycle as they can take up and let out water into the atmosphere through their leaves, leading to cloud formation and, eventually, rainfall. Therefore, deforestation with little or no reforestation can result in low rainfall and intense temperatures, which cause drought (Staal et al., 2020). Also, agricultural activities and shortage of land can make people cut down trees to increase space for farming. This can cause drought in areas where people do not replant fast-growing trees. Moreover, when many people move to one region, it can result in an increase in water demand, especially when the supply was initially low before they migrated. Therefore, this can increase the chances of drought.
The California Drought
California has had a history of drought since 1841, which occurs in one year or an interval of two to six years. However, there are some years between droughts where California has normal weather conditions. The California drought intensified in 2020, affecting all residents, animals, and wildlife, besides increasing wildfire risks. The human activities that led to global warming were the main cause of this drought. Burning fossil fuels is one of the main human activities that can lead to global warming. Most of California’s energy comes from relying on fossil fuels like oil and natural gas (Raimi et al., 2023). Burning down fossil fuels led to greenhouse emissions, which led to warmer temperatures in California. Warmer temperatures over long periods increased the chances of drought in 2020 to 2022.
A depleted Lake Oroville, a reservoir in California (Karlamangla, 2021)
The warmer temperatures in California have resulted in low water levels in the state’s water bodies and reservoirs. Above is an example of a depleted reservoir – low water levels in Lake Oroville, California. The effects of low water levels in California’s low water levels were exacerbated by increased water demand. California is one of the country’s leading agricultural states, implying that it uses a lot of water to conduct these activities. Also, from June 2020 to June 2021, California had low rainfall levels (Hwang, 2021). Therefore, as people could not depend on rain, they used the water in the reservoirs, depleting its supply. Over time, increased water usage with low rainfall and low water levels in reservoirs caused conditions that led to drought in California.
The Socioeconomic Impacts of the California Drought
The California drought had socioeconomic impacts on water supply, agriculture, and the environment. First, California’s water shortage during the drought had social and economic effects. Contextually, the social effects of water shortage in California are related to the unregulated pumping of groundwater. Hence, many people could not access adequate water due to the depleted water levels (Stewart et al., 2020). Economically, water shortage affected the state’s agricultural activities, one of its main sources of income. Second, expanding on the effects of the drought on agriculture, it affected the state socially due to food shortage. Hence, many people could not access food from the farms in California, which is healthier than most junk food options in the state. Economically, California’s declining agricultural activities during the drought affected a crucial source of income.
According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), ranches, farms, and nurseries in California earned at least $49.1 billion in the 2020 crop year, which was 3.3% less than the income in the year before (CDFA, 2021). This shows that the drought adversely affected California’s agricultural activities and its economy. Finally, the California drought affected the state’s environment. The persistent drought damaged many ecosystems in California, for instance, wildfires and threatening fish populations. Socially, poor environmental conditions affect people’s livelihood. For instance, wildfires can lead to air pollution, which makes people inhale unclean air. Economically, environmental degradation in California has affected some ecosystems that generate income. For instance, human activities in California have moved seawater to fresh water, which threatens fish populations – affecting the income of fishermen.
The Link between Drought and Climate Change
Climate change refers to long-term changes in temperatures and overall weather conditions. As mentioned, drought occurs due to low rainfall and high temperatures in a region after some time. Regions with low rainfall or precipitation in meager amounts do not have favorable conditions for vegetation and trees to grow (Adepoju et al., 2019). In addition, high temperatures lead to evaporation, which reduces the amount of water that vegetation and trees can absorb from the soil. After some time, a region with little or no vegetation becomes dry as there is no water and rainfall. Over time, drought becomes a permanent climatic condition in the affected areas since they do not allow the growth of vegetation and result in inadequate water supply. Hence, as the climate of a region changes from wet to dry, it results in drought.
Many regions experiencing climate change worldwide depend on fossil fuels as their main sources of energy. Burning these fossil fuels releases greenhouse gas emissions, which leads to warmer temperatures (Gaulin & Le Billon, 2020). As the temperatures of a particular region increase, it affects water supply due to evaporation. Also, such regions cannot allow the proper growth of vegetation and trees, which are important in the water cycle. Hence, as the climate changes to dry conditions for a prolonged time, these regions inevitably experience drought. The main relationship between drought and climate change is that, over time, the latter causes the former. As a region experiences poor rainfall and intense temperature, its climate changes from wet to dry conditions. As these conditions persist for a long time, they lead to drought.
The Actions Taken by Local and State Governments to Deal with Drought
Several actions taken by local and state governments to address drought are offering drought relief programs, supporting farmers impacted by water shortages, imposing water use restrictions, and constructing reservoirs. First, local and state governments can offer drought relief to regions experiencing adverse drought (Engström et al., 2020). For instance, they can offer food to individuals who are struggling to feed themselves and their families due to the food shortage caused by the drought. Second, local and state governments can support farmers in regions experiencing adverse drought conditions. For instance, these governments can invest some money into water reclamation programs in dry regions. Third, local and state governments can impose water use restrictions to avoid water shortages in dry regions. For instance, water rationing is a restriction that avoids the wastage of water in these regions.
Finally, local and state governments can construct water reservoirs in drought-affected regions. For instance, they can construct dams in dry areas to collect water anytime there is rainfall, which will reserve enough water for use regardless of the drought. California has put several measures to deal with drought and climate change. For instance, on March 24, 2023, California Governor Gavin Newsom eased the drought emergency limitations meant to handle inadequate water supply. The state government harnessed water from storms, ensuring that there is water supply for the public (California Governor, 2023). The state government claimed that it will allocate this water to more than twenty-five water agencies that serve at least 27 million individuals. Hence, increasing the water supply in California ensures that the public can live comfortably regardless of the drought.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the main cause of the drought that lasted from 2020 to 2022 in California was human-induced global warming that resulted in intense temperatures due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels (Raimi et al., 2023). Currently, there is still drought in California, although it is tolerable compared to 2022. Water use restrictions have proved effective in dealing with the drought, and the government should find a way to increase the water supply in California. The government should work to restore wet climatic conditions in California. Over time, this will reduce drought, which will improve the state’s water supply.
References
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CDFA. (2021, July 21). California Agricultural Statistics Review 2020-2021. https://www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/California/Publications/Annual_Statistical_Reviews/2021/2021_Ag_Stats_Review.pdf
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