'Water Will Be Served Only Upon Request'
February 2016 was the hottest February on record over the course of 137 years. We have El Niño to thank for the toasty conditions as the warming of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean has a 90% chance of lasting through next winter. As a full-time student at a southern Californian university, I'll be the first to say that I've been affected by this phenomenon and still don't understand it. But, I'm not alone in asking questions -- the actual cause behind this patch-of-ocean-turned-sauna is not well understood by many. From prior observation, scientists roughly estimate a reoccurrence to take place every 2-7 years and last for 6-18 months. Oh, joy.
El Niño is doing little to help regions already struggling with drought. In California, local legislation last year made it mandatory for restaurants to only bring water to customers when they asked for it. As a hostess at a seafood restaurant in Santa Barbara, I tastefully decorated every table with signs that read: "Water Will Be Served Only Upon Request." Water bills across the state were hiked, lawn watering days were assigned by even/odd numbers (with massive fines for excessive use) and five-minute shower timers were installed in every dorm bathroom at my university. Besides these everyday inconveniences and one very sad, very low house boating trip to Lake Shasta, I was not significantly impacted by the drought. I was even ignorant to the fact that other areas around the world were experiencing it.
That's why learning about Zambia has been so startling. Climate change is currently hitting Lake Kariba hard. For years, this lake has operated as the world's largest hydroelectic dam and has lead to the success of Zambia's economy. Recent drought conditions, however, are jeopardizing that stability as Kariba is generating so little electricity that the entire country is experiencing regular and prolonged blackouts. They have reached out to the International Monetary Fund for help and are failing to pay their civil servants.
Conditions in Zambia have caught international attention as the fragile economic gains in Africa are increasingly threatened by the looming impact of climate change. Other countries who rely on hydroelectricity include Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania and Malawi. The Kariba Dam accounts for nearly 95% of the national hydroelectricity and is currently operating at a quarter capacity. Despite an agreement reached at the climate talks in Paris this past December that would require wealthy nations (i.e. the largest greenhouse emitters) to give $100,000 billion a year after 2020 towards developing countries in the name of climate change, no legal binds ensured the amount or the terms of the deal. The future of hydropower in Zambia is very ambiguous and small businesses are largely affected by the damaged economy. Employees are being laid off and some are only able to work between blackouts.
As much as the words "climate change" have become a broken record, water levels in California are gradually on the rise while living and working conditions in African countries dependent on hydroelectricity are heading for the worst. It might be time to do something more than time our showers and water lawns on even numbered days. So, besides taking the time to genuinely cherish that French water carafe rationed among your party of eight, it's time to start paying attention to renewable energy options so that when lake levels run low, light bulbs stay on.
