Green Daily

This week has been covered up in weird nature news: the oceans are mysteriously cooling, tornadoes are up 153% in the last 3 years, and now it seems that the American West is experiencing temperatures warming at about twice the rate of the rest of the planet.

Based on an analysis conducted by the Natural Resources Defense Council, the average temperature in the westernmost states from 2003-2007 was up 1.7°F from the average in the 20th century -- while the rest of the globe was only up 1°. Why is this happening? The NRDC report doesn't speculate on why the change seems to be occurring, but they do offer up some scary statistics about a warming trend that could greatly affect the water situation in many of the already parched western cities.

Many of the fastest-growing western cities like Denver, Los Angeles, and San Diego are situated in the Colorado River Basin, an area which warmed up by an unprecedented 2.2 degrees over the same period. The Colorado River is mostly fed by melting snow, which may explain part of the warming trend. Local groups insist that the declining snow pack and hotter temperatures are causing more and more evaporation, resulting in less water making to the river.

Still, more question loom as desert states like Arizona continue to boom, developing massive cities in desert areas where water resources are being maxed out. Groups like the Rocky Mountain Climate Organization claim that many areas of their outdoor economy are being effected by the warming. Ski resorts are reporting weaker revenues, fishing operations are fighting an uphill battle, and farmers are facing losses due to droughts.