A New Pacific Institute Research Tool Predicts A Large Increase In California’s Water Needs Because of Global Warming

It should come as no surprise that as the world gets warmer, the demand for water will increase.

The Pacific Institute has developed a new, free tool to help California water managers and others forecast urban water demand with four separate climate change models and compare possible outcomes as far out as the year 2100. The tool allows for such variables as greenhouse gas emissions, conservation, population changes, and more.

The report, called Urban Water Demand in California to 2100: Incorporating Climate Change,  describes how warming due to climate change is causing increases in water demand for landscapes, and will continue to drive up future water demand particularly as more Californians settle in warmer, drier inland areas.

According to a press release:

The Pacific Institute ran a number of scenarios through 2100. The analysis finds that climate change alone could increase urban water demand in 2100 by 8% percent, or around 1 million acre-feet, under a medium-high greenhouse gas emissions scenario. That is the amount of water needed to satisfy the current household needs of 6.7 million Californians or the amount of water produced by 18 large desalination plants (the size of the proposed Carlsbad plant).

To read the Pacific Institute’s press release, go here.