Scott Peters: “In southern California and across the American West, 2013 was another year of extremely dry conditions. And as of today…”

“In southern California and across the American West, 2013 was another year of extremely dry conditions. And as of today, snowpack in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, which is our water storage facility, is well below its seasonal average. In 2011 and 2012, drought and heat waves cost the United States $90 billion in economic damages, further evidence of the economic harm we are enduring due to climate change and increasingly extreme weather. 2012 saw the worst drought in the country in 50 years, with more than 80 percent of the country designated a drought disaster-affected area by late November. Since the year 2000, there have been nine droughts that have each cost more than $1 billion in damages. Research from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, sponsored by the Climate Initiative at The San Diego Foundation, has shown that in San Diego the main effects of climate change are rising sea levels, more intense wildfires, and increased pressure on water supplies. It is time to get serious about climate change so that we can protect our scarce water resources that hydrate our farms and our families. Go, Chargers. ____________________”