Environment Alert: Santa Barbara, the cradle of the Earth Day movement, is reckoning with some of the most rapid climate change in the United States

The progressive county, where a 1969 oil spill helped spur the U.S. environmental movement, has warmed a dramatic 2.3 degrees Celsius, or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, since 1895. Santa Barbara is part of a cluster of Southern California counties that show rapid change, more than double the global average. The warming is driving extreme fires, deadly mudslides, drought and more. It's forcing farmers to change crops, calling into question the reliability of electric power and showing how hard it is even in a hotbed of environmentalism to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

Democracy Dies in Darkness     Environment Alert Dec 6, 3:18 PM     Santa Barbara, the cradle of the Earth Day movement, is reckoning with some of the most rapid climate change in the United States The progressive county, where a 1969 oil spill helped spur the U.S. environmental movement, has warmed a dramatic 2.3 degrees Celsius, or 4.1 degrees Fahrenheit, since 1895. Santa Barbara is part of a cluster of Southern California counties that show rapid change, more than double the global average. The warming is driving extreme fires, deadly mudslides, drought and more. It's forcing farmers to change crops, calling into question the reliability of electric power and showing how hard it is even in a hotbed of environmentalism to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Read more » Advertisement You received this email because you signed up for news alerts from The Washington Post. Manage my newsletters and alerts | Unsubscribe Privacy Policy | Help ©2019 The Washington Post, 1301 K St NW, Washington DC 20071