Texas has a total land area of 261,914 square miles- making it the second largest state in the United States. Combined with a diverse geography, Texas has one of the most varied climates of any state. As the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere increases year by year, causing an increase in the Earth’s average overall temperature, changes in our climate are inevitable. We will investigate how those changes will affect the life of the everyday Texan - from our water resources, to our cities and why they are important issues that need to be addressed by our society.
With the changes coming from global warming and increased greenhouse gasses, there will be many impacts to Texas over the coming decades. One of these impacts is the effect on our water resources. Texas’ main source of fresh water is precipitation, coming almost completely from rainfall. With temperatures rising and with an expectation that precipitation levels will most likely drop in coming years, this combination will put great stress on our water reservoirs. If we continue our current usage rates of water and if recent climate changes continue to persist then we will see a huge decrease in our water reservoirs. Also, given that we are in a drought, it appears that conditions are getting worse every year, posing a serious problem for the future if this issue is not addressed now.
Cities in Texas are especially vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Depending on where they are located, cities vary in their vulnerability and most major cities face a decline in water resources. Coastal cities, such as from Houston to the Rio Grande, are exposed to a rise in sea level. The decline of fresh water reservoirs and the rising sea level ...
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...Texans is the threat of rising sea levels. While this is not as much of a concern currently because of the slow rate at which the sea is rising, the shear displacement of people would be a monumental task to tackle alone. The long-term affects of both of these changes in our climate could wreak havoc on our economy and put our state under much stress.
So, no matter where you live in Texas, the affects of climate change can be felt in one if not more ways. With changes already occurring to our cities, urban areas, and water resources, it is obvious that climate change has already started to affect Texas. Yet it is hard to predict with certainty what impact these changes will have on the life of the everyday Texan. One thing is for certain, and that is that in the coming years a solution to the decrease of greenhouse gases will need to be found and acted upon quickly.
Spross, Jeff. "The Impact Of Climate Change On The Midwest: More Heat, More Droughts, More Floods, Fewer Crops." ThinkProgress RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2014. http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/05/07/3434933/national-climate-assessment-midwest/
El Paso and Ciudad Juarez share much more than the border. The Paso del Norte region is a desert and receives an average of nine inches of rain over a year long span. This is a double edged sword for the binational area. On one hand, lack of rain limits the amount of humidity, however, the downside is when it do...
Texas went through a great amount of political change from being dominated by the Democratic Party during the 1960s and 70s, from the Republican Party taking over in the 80s. One of the big reasons for this change was due to the political party’s views. Throughout this essay I will discuss the changes of the political stances in Texas as well as the present day factors that affect America.
In the United States, for the last four decades, from Richard Nixon to Ronald Reagan through the two Bush Presidencies, the Republican Party won the White House by amassing large margins among white voters (Lizza.) The state of Texas has been reliably Republican since the 1970s and there are various elements to Texas political culture that can be narrowed down to three essential ideological trends: economic liberalism, or faith in the free market economy, social conservatism, or favoring traditional values and moralism, and populism, or promoting the rights and worthiness of ordinary people (Texas Political Culture.) As a result, the dominant political mood in Texas favors low taxes, minimal government services, and policies that are pro-business. This phenomenon is not static, however, since changing demographics in the state are causing changes in the profile of Texas in reference to electoral politics, among other major issues. This paper will explore different perspectives about the changing demographics of Texas, and where they might lead the state politically, and will present a variety of viewpoints regarding this complex subject.
Texas will become a better state in education conditions and economically. Families all over Texas will have a better chance on making sure there students attend college. College students will worry less in having to pay for college classes, books, or even their own needs like clothes or food. Loans will be much easier to receive. With the community reviving, Texas will become a greater state bringing in more benefits for the people and for the nation
What, if anything, makes this city vulnerable with regard to climate change and concerns about peak oil.
Robert C. Balling Jr. and Patricia Gober (2006) Climate Variability and Residential Water Use in
Texas, with its abundances of natural resources, is facing a new demon, one that doesn’t even seem possible, a shortage of water. Water, without it nothing can survive. Texas is the second largest state for landmass in the nation and ninth for water square miles. Within the borders of Texas are more than 100 lakes, 14 major rivers, and 23 aquifers, so why has water become such an important issue for the state? Politicians and conservationists all agree that without a new working water plan, the state could be facing one of the most damaging environmental disasters they have ever seen. The issues that shape the states positions are population growth, current drought conditions, and who actually owns the water.
Texas, being the very conservative, right-wing state that it is, has long had problems compromising and working with the federal government and when it comes to environmental policy, this is no exception. Republicans in the state of Texas tend to clash frequently with federal Democratic leaders and this has been especially noticeable within the last few years. The state of our environment is a national problem and has gotten to the point where federal law must intervene when it comes to regulation of how each state deals with the problems of air quality, water pollution, and conservation of land and resources, to name a few. It seems as though when it comes to issues regarding the environment, the states and federal government have been unable to see eye to eye. In the past, there was a focus on meeting the minimum federal standards when it came to the environment but states are leaning towards more aggressive policies. While each state may choose to handle this policy in the way they feel best benefits them, it is an issue that affects the whole country and should be handled as if it were as important as any other. Single states often become catalysts for others to adopt their regulations, rather than using the federal government as a leading example, but it is important that these catalyst states are being led in the right direction in the first place.
When the Bob Bullock Texas State History museum opened in March 2001, it advertised itself as “The Story of Texas.” It still calls itself the story of Texas in letters chiseled into the top of the building, on its Web site, on signs directing visitors to the museum, and even on the refrigerator magnets you can buy in the gift shop. When I first saw the slogan, I wondered how there could be “the” story of Texas, since Texas has been culturally diverse throughout its history as a part of Mexico that became a separate nation and later a state. Shortly Texas will have no one group as a majority. I grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, where the great majority of the population, like me, is Mexican American. How was this new museum going to present my story? I had to go and find out.
Caused by climate change and urbanization, water shortages are a major concern of the Mexican government at both the local and federal level. Mexico City, the third largest city in the world with more than twenty million inhabitants, struggles with water scarcity because of the potential risk it poses to the wellbeing of its citizens. Similar to the situation in other megacities, such as Jakarta and Bangkok, Mexico City’s water supplies are being depleted because of a growing urban population. (CBC News , 2009 ) Unable to sufficiently supply the increasing population size of the city, the water in the Mexico Valley aquifer is being drawn out faster than the aquifer’s recharge rate. Exacerbated by the fragmented nature of Mexico’s political culture, the exploitation of Mexico City’s water resources due to a growing urban population is detrimentally degrading the environment and creating a self-perpetuating problem that places the city and its inhabitants at risk.
Earth’s average temperature has increased about 0.8 degrees Celsius since 1880 and another degree could cause even more problems than there already are. Climate change is an important issue to be aware of because it is real and it affects you and the things around you each and every day. Every day animals lose habitats and die because climate change caused there home to burn, or their food sources started to deplete, etc. Along with these, more and more CO2 is being released into the air due to wildfires burning which is causing the atmosphere to heat even more. With the temperature increasing the oceans will become warmer and evaporation and rainfall patterns will change which will affect humans and animals, because we all work together in a system. There are many consequences of climate change like human health issues, and more animals becoming endangered, but the most important consequence is the rising amounts of wildfires.
Climate change is a considerable problem in Mexico. By the end of this century mexico’s annual climate will raise 4.5-7.2 degrees fahrenheit (climate). This may not seem substantial, but if this continues global temperatures could skyrocket exponentially. The major effect climate change is having on Mexico is drought. For the last few years mexico has been in a serious drought. 40% of mexico’s water now comes from outside sources (Climate). This is having a major after effect on agriculture. The government is having to supply farmers with water and replace dead crops. Not only is climate change harmful to people, but the economy as well. The solution seems simple; impose a carbon tax or phase out fossil fuels, however, it's never that straightforward.
Global Warming changing the earth’s climate is already having an effect on the world’s water supply in many ways, and is predicted to be much worse. Global Warming and climate change will influence water temperatures, weather systems and for the amount of water in streams and rivers. A change in the world’s water is a concern for the whole world. Climate change will affect both the quality and the quality of water, algae and bacteria will grown in areas where they are not normally found, and in other areas, salinity of the water will rise. A rise in atmospheric temperature will speed up the pace of the water cycle, it produce more rapid evaporation leading to more intense storms, floods and drought. In some cases, areas can become susceptible to becoming wetter and drier than normal, experiencing increased flooding in the winter and more drought risks in the summer.
Many scientific studies also show increases in the intensity, duration, and extent of droughts, higher atmospheric temperatures, warmer sea surface temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, and diminishing glaciers and snowpack. The bottom line is that causes of climate change, such as greenhouse gas emissions, will have to be minimized if people want to do as much as possible to solve the water crisis. Works Cited Water demand management: the case of Zaragoza, Spain Web 25 Nov. 2014. http://www.un.org/waterforlifedecade/swm_cities_zaragoza_2010/pdf/final_report_swm_cities.pdf.