The new Energy Secretary, UC Berkeley physicist Steven Chu, has offered a chilling warning to California of the consequences of unchecked global warming - consequences we're already witnessing:

"I don't think the American public has gripped in its gut what could happen," he said. "We're looking at a scenario where there's no more agriculture in California." And, he added, "I don't actually see how they can keep their cities going" either....

Chu warned of water shortages plaguing the West and Upper Midwest and particularly dire consequences for California, his home state, the nation's leading agricultural producer.

In a worst case, Chu said, up to 90% of the Sierra snowpack could disappear, all but eliminating a natural storage system for water vital to agriculture.

One of those cities facing severe crisis already is Bolinas, in Marin County:

The oceanside enclave in Marin County has enacted some of the state's toughest water restrictions. Each customer - with the exception of schools and some businesses - may use no more than 150 gallons a day, about 4,500 gallons each month.

A third violation of the order would allow the Bolinas Community Public Utility District to cut off water.

Without drastic cutbacks, officials say, the community of 1,200 could run out of water by the end of April. The town on the southern end of the Point Reyes Peninsula already is drawing from two emergency reservoirs, one of which is effectively empty.

There are a lot of California cities that are nervously watching Bolinas and the dry reservoirs, including Monterey. Sure, we're due to get some rain tonight, but the estimates are that we'll get 1-2 inches tops out of the two storms lined up in the Pacific. At this point we need a deluge reminiscent of March and April 2006 to recharge our reservoirs, severely depleted by three months of drought.

Back to Secretary Chu - he offered a strong warning to Americans about the need to not delay action on global warming and sustainable energy use:

He said the threat of warming is keeping policymakers focused on alternatives to fossil fuel, even though gasoline prices have fallen over the last six months from historic highs. But he said public awareness needs to catch up. He compared the situation to a family buying an old house and being told by an inspector that it must pay a hefty sum to rewire it or risk an electrical fire that could burn everything down.

"I'm hoping that the American people will wake up," Chu said, and pay the cost of rewiring.

One of those who ought to be listening is Senator Barbara Boxer, who was yesterday reported to be working with global warming denier Jim Inhofe to divert $50 billion in transit funding for highways. Massive pressure from transit activists has led Boxer to lessen the damage somewhat but she is still working with Inhofe, for reasons that defy all logic and common sense, and Transportation for America which has led this fight still opposes the amendment.

As the US Senate fiddles, and as the Yacht Party actively seeks to destroy our state's government, California is going dry. The climate crisis is here.