The Colorado River Faces a Climate Change-Driven Crisis

/in , /by /The Washington Postby Maxine Joselow

The Colorado River plays a pivotal role in the American West, supplying water to more than 40 million people, irrigating 5 million acres of farmland, and providing critical habitat for rare fish, birds and plants.

But demand for the Colorado’s water far exceeds supply in the fast-growing Southwest, as a climate change-fueled megadrought and rising temperatures place an unprecedented strain on the iconic river.
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