"A Different Kind of Resource Shock Is Unfolding"

"How did California get here? This winter’s infamous 'polar vortex,' which has blocked storm fronts from reaching California, hasn’t helped. But the state was facing dry conditions long before this winter. Whether climate change is at play is a question on which scientists disagree: Some say yes, citing in particular the thinning snowpack, and some say no, citing climate models that predict global warming will make California wetter, not drier. Regardless, the current drought merely tipped into crisis a state whose water woes have been worsening for decades. California would be better prepared to withstand its current lack of rain had various constituencies conceded to tougher water-saving measures over the years. Which constituency is most culpable is subjective. Your answer depends largely on your politics."


Jeffrey Ball in The New Republic discusses what Californians will have to do about the state's drought.