Nearly half of the contiguous United States – 45% – are enduring drought conditions, according to recent data from Drought.gov. The tracking agency says the Northeast saw some improvements, while “drought conditions worsened along with a huge expansion of abnormal dryness on the Plains (except Texas), Montana, and the Northwest.”
If you would like more context on this matter, please consider Jonathan P. Deason, co-director of GW’s Environmental and Energy Management Institute and a professor in the School of Engineering and Applied Science. He conducts research in the areas of net zero water and energy for military installations, transition of energy sources from fossil to renewable, decision support systems for environmental and energy management, optimal investments in environmental and energy projects, and environmental and energy systems analysis.
Deason can speak to frequency with which droughts and extreme heat have intensified over the years as well as the impacts that megadrought conditions have on communities, economies, and the environment.
“We need to emphasize the impact the megadrought is having and will continue to have on inflation, particularly on food prices,” Deason says. “We already have seen quite a bit of that, but my expectation is that not only will the drought continue and probably get worse due to climate change. The impact of the drought on food prices will continue, thus making the Biden Administration’s efforts to fight inflation even more difficult than it already is.”
If you would like to speak with Professor Deason, please contact GW Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-