Climate Change/Global Warming & Water Quality & Quantity
As a result of the burning of fossil fuels, increasing levels of the greenhouse gases (GHGs) carbon dioxide (now at approximately 415 parts per million [ppm]), methane, nitrous oxide, and fluorinated gases will increase ambient temperatures, which leads to evapo-transpiration increases, all caused by global warming.
Impact on Precipitation & Groundwater
In most latitudes, increasing temperatures have been shown to cause more precipitation and less snowfall, leading to less snowmelt that renders less surface water flows and less groundwater recharge in the spring and late spring (IPCC, 2021).
Global CO2 Emissions
After a slight decrease in 2020 due to less energy consumption as a result of the pandemic, CO2 emissions returned to the 2018–2019 all-time high in 2021 at about 38 billion tons, or 38 gigatons (Joint Research Centre + International Energy Agency + Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, October 14, 2022).
Focus on Methane
Methane's ability to trap heat by trapping radiation is about 25 times greater than carbon dioxide over a 100-year period (US EPA 2022). Globally, 50–65% of total methane (CH4) comes from human activities including energy, industry, agriculture, land use, and waste management.
Climate Variability
It is difficult to define the boundaries of normal climate variability. Even more nettlesome is attempting to understand where fossil fuel-induced climate change begins.
Documents
- IWRA CC PFAS MP WI PROOF Draft Final September 28 2022 (pdf)
- IWRA Methane TNThompson Op Ed November 28 2022 (pdf)
- PowerPoint Adaptation CC October 23 2022 (pdf)
- IWRA Climate change is increasing global salt pollution Gander Feb 13 2023 (pdf)
- IWRA Methane Editorial WSJ Fred Krupp EDF November 17 2023 (docx)
- PowerPoint IWRA Methane & CC & Global H2O Resources January 2024 (pdf)
- PowerPoint IWRA Gander La Guajira Final September 5 2025 (pdf)