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Dust Bowl Echoes: Climate Threat Returns
12 Jan
Summary
- US faced extreme heat waves and dust storms 90 years ago.
- A new study suggests these conditions are returning to the US.
- Greenhouse gas emissions are likely causing permanent changes.
About 90 years ago, American farmers' practices combined with droughts devastated the Great Plains soil, creating massive dust storms. Simultaneously, the US endured record-breaking heat waves, with the two phenomena feeding each other in a destructive cycle. These conditions, which defined the Dust Bowl era, are now reappearing in the United States.
A recent study by AccuWeather suggests that the conditions responsible for that historical cycle of drought and extreme heat are returning. This time, however, the underlying cause is attributed to the planet's warming due to greenhouse gas emissions.
Unlike the cyclical droughts of the 1930s, the current warming trend driven by human activity points to potentially permanent changes in the climate. This renewed threat looms over the US, echoing past environmental crises with implications for the future.
