The worst weather may be a century away, but consumers and energy companies in coal-dependent Kentucky and Indiana may see early signs of climate change in their bank accounts. Officials say a push for cleaner power plants could triple energy bills there.
In Texas, a predicted increase in drought conditions could cause the Colorado River and Rio Grande to dry up before they reach the coast, creating a desert in the west of the state and eliminating 40 percent of all crops.
By 2050, some predict that oil tankers will be used to ship drinking water from New Zealand, Norway and Russia to thirsty parts of China, Australia, and the United States. Iceberg towing and chemical “cloud seeding” could become routine “if the money’s right,” one tanker owner told Reuters.
The pundit circuit also sees green in climate change: The American Enterprise Institute, a think-tank funded by ExxonMobil and other companies, has offered scientists $10,000 each to dispute the findings of the latest international climate change report.
Sources:
“Warming puts region’s coal in the cross hairs”
Courier-Journal (KY), February 3, 2007
“Severe heat, drought predicted for 22nd-century Texas”
Houston Chronicle, February 3, 2007
“Tankers may ship water to parched cities of future”
Reuters, February 2, 2007
“Scientists offered cash to dispute climate study”
Guardian (U.K.,) February 2, 2007