National Geographic Magazine is rolling out a new series of articles entitled “data points”. These articles are meant to quantify data and present it in a manner that allows the reader to see the “big picture” of a given subject. An article released on July 14th featured a map of the US that color coded each state by degree of ecological debt. Several states in the Midwest were ecological contributors; they did not exceed the limits of resources that their surroundings provided. The same cannot be said about the coastal regions of the US. Maryland was considered the worst ecological debtor. California was also considered a state that has “overdrawn” on nature’s back account. Click on Image for full article.
California’s account with Bank of Mother Nature may receive a big deposit, by way of El Nino. El Nino is the name given to a warming trend that occurs in the Pacific Ocean, mostly along the equator. This warming trend shifts the weather patterns of regions surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Southern California is one of those areas. The El Nino event was exceptionally strong during it last occurrence, and brought heavy rainstorms to Southern California as a result. A strong El Nino is predicted to occur this year, a welcomed word of news for drought-stricken California. Strong rainstorms upon a parched land creates a great environment for flooding. Los Angeles Times reported that a recent spike in rain-fall caused all kinds of damage to the city; it even washed away a portion of Interstate 10 (See full report Here).
Don’t leave it to El Nino to “bail out” California from its ecological debt. Make a “green” deposit today through sustainable living. Your investment will yield great dividends!