Environmental Issues > Global Warming Main Page > All Global Warming Documents

Read More

Full Report (PDF)

Table of Contents

• Executive Summary (PDF)
• An Overview of Major Scientific Findings on Climate Change
• How Climate Change Will Affect Western Water Supply and Management
• The Water and Energy Connection
• A Guide for Water Managers: Designing a Comprehensive Response to Climate Change
• Conclusions and Recommendations
• Appendix A: Case Studies: Water Agency Action on Climate Change
• Appendix B: Decoupling Population Growth and Water Use
• Endnotes

Press release [En Español]

Drought and dry conditions withering the western United States are likely to persist and intensify, jeopardizing the region's water supply and water quality, compromising the health of rivers and lakes, and increasing the risk of flooding for Western communities. As stewards of these scarce resources, water managers can lead the response to the effects of global warming on water in the West.

This NRDC report breaks new ground by analyzing the effects of global warming on a full range of water management tools and offering recommendations to meet the challenge. As the hotter, drier weather already afflicting the region becomes more common, officials responsible for keeping the taps flowing will need to take bold measures now, including conservation and efficiency, and supporting measures to control and reduce global warming in the future.

last revised 2/21/2013