Diane’s farewell message
After 52 years at WAMU, Diane Rehm says goodbye.
An empty water reservoir is seen April 5 in the hills above Los Angeles as a severe drought continues to affect the state of California.
The drought in California is considered to be the worst since temperature and rainfall records were first kept in the late 1800s. With a population of almost 39 million and an important agricultural sector, the effects in California are widespread. Climate scientists point out the current drought is not limited to California. And although unprecedented in modern times, research suggests that in past centuries the region experienced droughts lasting for decades. We look at the drought in the West and what we can learn from ancient weather patterns.
Guests
- Jonathan Overpeck Director of the Institute of the Environment at the University of Arizona.
- Richard Seager Climate scientist and professor, Columbia University's Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory.
- Alan Bjerga Reporter for Bloomberg News, focused on agricultural policy and commodities.
Watch: California Drought Spreads Across Region
The U.S. Drought monitor tracks droughts across the country over time. This shows the growth of the current drought in California (and water scarcity elsewhere) over the six weeks leading up to April 7, 2015.
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