Date/Time
Date(s) - March 25, 2021
5:00 pm - 6:15 pm

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CSU History’s Dr. Doug Sheflin will be part of a panel, titled “Planning for Climate Change: Lessons from the Dust Bowl” hosted by the School of Global Environmental Stability (SoGES).

As our planet warms, periods of extreme weather are expected to increase. While all weather extremes, such as flooding rains and heat waves, provide unique challenges, an increase in the occurrence of extreme, multi-year drought will have the greatest impact on natural, agricultural and social-ecological systems. The 1930s “Dust Bowl” provides both a historic example of this type of weather extreme and an opportunity to learn from the past as we prepare for a more water-limited future. Water scarcity is already a contentious issue for society and extended periods of severe drought in the future will likely lead to instability in people’s jobs, changes to landscapes and wildlife, and an unsustainable use of water from other sources.