"New research shows global warming has become the dominant driver of worsening droughts in the Western U.S. Scientists say the severity of future droughts will be determined largely by how much more planet-heating gases humans release into the atmosphere."

"Humanity’s heating of the planet, driven by the burning of fossil fuels and unchecked emissions of greenhouse gases, has become the main driver of worsening droughts in California and the American West, according to new research.

A team of UCLA and NOAA scientists found that while droughts in the last century were caused mainly by decreases in precipitation through natural cycles, an entirely different pattern has taken hold as a result of the rising temperatures this century.

The researchers determined that since 2000, human-caused warming has become the dominant force leading to more drought severity in the Western United States. In the case of the intense Western drought from 2020 to 2022, the scientists attributed 61% of its severity to high temperatures, and only 31% to reduced precipitation."

Ian James reports for the Los Angeles Times November 7, 2024. [2]