Major polluters are worsening the Western US water crisis: A new way to measure who's responsible
Climate change was once something scientists warned us about, and now it's a reality we are living in. In California's Central Valley, about one-third of climate-related groundwater loss between 2003 and 2024 can be attributed to emissions from the same actors. Scientists call them the "Carbon Majors," a group of 122 corporations that are the world's largest producers of oil, gas, coal and cement.
Major polluters in the Western United States are significantly contributing to the worsening water crisis, according to a new study. Researchers found that emissions from 122 major fossil fuel and cement producers, known as the "Carbon Majors," have played a substantial role in exacerbating the region's water issues. Since 1950, these companies have reduced warm-season streamflow by 6% and increased irrigation demand by 2.4%, accounting for 40% to 64% of human-driven climate change in the area.
The study utilized two methods to quantify the impact: a proportional approach and a more detailed attribution approach involving physics simulations. Both methods revealed a 15% decrease in spring mountain snowpack, equivalent to a loss of about 35 billion cubic meters of snow every year, particularly affecting California and the Pacific Northwest.
The research highlights the urgent need for legal action against these major emitters, as groundwater laws alone cannot mitigate the climate-driven changes in water supply.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
