Increased Risk of Natural Distasters
Why is it affected by Climate Change?
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Most of California's Wildfires And Droughts happen in the summer because of the limited rainfall. Most of California's rainfall occurs in the winter and fall. This makes the summer an ideal time for wildfires because the vegetation is all dried up and in turn very flammable.
This is a graph that demonstrates how the rainfall in summer is a drastically smaller amount compared to the rain fall in the winter months.
The reason that the wildfires and droughts are occurring more frequently in recent years is because the higher temperatures are making the climate more severe with hotter summers. This ever-increasing difference in temperature also creates a more extreme difference in perception through the different seasons. During the winter there is more rainfall and during the summer there is less which is why the risk of Natural Disasters is increasing on the United States West Coast.
How is it impacting the West Coast?
Natural Disasters have affected the West Coast in many ways socially, economically, politically, environmentally, and personally. Many people have died because of the wildfires which affect people socially and personally. Thousands of miles of land have been scorched which is the environmental part. Lots of agricultural land has been destroyed because of these fires, as well as the crops not be as nourished because of the droughts which are the economic part. The political aspect is how the West Coast government is handling the fires and droughts.