Human Ecology-Drought in California

The historical drought facing California has forced the Governor Edmund Brown Jr. to declare a state of emergency. The high rate of drought has reduced the amount of water in farms and for domestic use. In addition, it has increased fires in both rural and urban areas. Therefore, the Californians must develop measures to conserve water in the most possible way (Lester, 2014). The state agencies also use less water, hire more firefighters, and expand water conservation public awareness.

The California authority has claimed that the rivers and water reservoirs are below their record lows. The statewide water content is approximately 20 percent of normal average for the year 2014. In May 2013, the government issued an Executive Order to compel state water officials to accelerate the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights (Lester, 2014). Governor Brown announced that the dry conditions that have persisted since 2012 might continue beyond this year. Scientific projections have indicated that drought may continue in the future due to climatic change. The degree of severe drought in California has persisted beyond the control of personnel, services, facilities and equipment of any single local government (Lester, 2014). The issue requires combined effort of mutual aid regions.

The drought in California has cost thousands of jobs because many farmers have stopped irrigating their farms. The rate of unemployment now stands at 40 percent in certain communities. Various legislations are ratified in order to avert the water crisis. For instance, Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley water Reliability Acts helps to conserve more water (Lester, 2014).

The Californian drought is important in S.P.E.E.C.H. concept because it helps to focus of climate change and global warming. Climate change disasters such as droughts show that the effects are costlier and harsher. Therefore, the condition requires environmental policies that will help in remediation (Lester, 2014).

References

Lester, L. (2014). History of fire and drought shapes the ecology of California, past and future | Ecological Society of America. Esa.org. Retrieved 8 October 2014, from http://www.esa.org/esa/history-of-fire-and-drought-shapes-the-ecology-of-california-past-and-future/