American West in worst drought during past 1,200 years

Western drought likely worst in a millennium and may be the beginning of 'aridification' that I originally promised at the end of One foot sea level rise by 2050 according to U.S. government study. I begin with PBS NewsHour reporting Western states face a bleak future amid the worst drought in more than 1,000 years.

The so-called megadrought that is afflicting the American West is the worst in 1,200 years, according to a study published this week. It has dried up water supplies, threatened ranchers and fueled wildfires. Park Williams, the lead author of the study just published in the journal Nature Climate Change, joins William Brangham with more.

About the only good news is that PBS NewsHour interviewed the lead author of the study, who is an Associate Professor at UCLA, my undergraduate alma mater. They went to the source and got a brief yet clear explanation of the science. Yay, PBS journalism standards and go Bruins! Other than that, this is bad news.

NBC News opted for more video clips to illustrate Western States Face Worst Megadrought In More Than 1,000 Years.

A megadrought in the western U.S. has become the worst in more than 1,000 years and is being driven by humans, according to a new study. NBC News meteorologist Bill Karins breaks down whether the drought is showing any signs of letting up and how California officials are hoping to combat the unprecedented drought.

At least NBC News focused on solutions.

To see how the local media where I grew up covered this story, watch CBS Los Angeles The West Enters Worst Drought In 1,200 Years.

Experts believe 42% the so called "Megadrought" can be attributed to human-caused climate change.

CBS LA went for a combination of expert interview, location footage, and a search for solution with a local emphasis, which I thought was a good combination for them. Still, they didn't avoid this being bad news.

For my conclusion, I'm going to be a good environmentalist by recycling what I wrote last June for my reaction to the PBS Terra video I embedded.

Calling this "the worst drought in 1200 years" and the process "aridification" instead of a mere drought reminds me of something I said in the interview I linked to in On BlogTalkRadio for Earth Day today.* I told host John Henry that I thought that the drought was comparable to the once-in-a-lifetime one that caused the Dust Bowl but it could be worse. The current drought could rival the ones that occurred in the U.S. Southwest during the mid 1100s and late 1200s, during which time the Anasazi, the ancestors of today's Hopi, who were featured in the PBS Terra video, abandoned many of their previous settlements and started building their current pueblos. I'd listen to the descendants of the survivors of that drought about how to cope with it.

I still would, even though these videos didn't feature indigenous voices. That's an additional perspective that might have been valuable.