NPR has put together an incredible website full of information and interactive tools on the Texas drought:
Texas drought maps and photos | NPR StateImpact.
I have a friend who worked in the Texas Legislature for several years. He and his Rep tried hard to introduce a bill into committee (I believe it was the 2011 session) that simply required Texas state agencies to plan for the contingency of drought. They couldn’t even get the bill a hearing in the committee because in the eyes of the right-wing ideologues that control this (and many other) state government, it was one step closer to acknowledging the reality of global warming. The bill didn’t even mention global warming, just requiring that agencies plan for drought, but Republicans in Texas wouldn’t let it hit the committee floor let alone get a vote in the Leg.
The fact is that there is as much scientific consensus about global warming as there is on cigarettes and cancer. While the science has never been more clear, a growing number of Americans have doubt about the science. This disconnect hasn’t occurred in a vacuum. There has a been a well financed and decades-long campaign to cause doubt so that the status quo can continue and moneyed interests in the energy and chemicals industries can reap their profits.
While there is plenty of blame to go around, there is only one political party in America whose platform takes this head-in-the-sand and pro-business at all costs approach. In order for real change on this and many other issues, America needs to vote out the dinosaurs, neanderthals, and ideologues that have found a home in the Republican party.
