Tipping Point Quick Hits (8.18.22)

Southwest megadrought, cloud seeding in China, and chaos at Neuralink

American Southwest Drought at a “Tipping Point”

We’ve been saying our world was at an end-times “tipping point” since we introduced this site, and lately meteorologists are using that same phrase to refer to the devastating drought in the southwest United States. I spoke about this in yesterday’s Tipping Point Show.

Right now, the late-summer monsoon rains have left an area from Arizona to Wyoming on a flood watch, but officials are warning the beneficial rains still won’t be enough to stave off the need for drastic water cuts. The Colorado River and its associated reservoirs have reached near-crisis levels. Earlier this week, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has now asked states that rely on the Colorado River Basin to outline how they would make future cuts in water use.

One official warned that “immediate action” was needed this year to avoid a water supply crisis next year.