Study says global warming caused by humans is behind the California drought

A new study from Stanford University says that climate change driven by humans is behind the drought in California, which is affecting 98 percent of the state.

The two main weather conditions that lead to drought — higher than average temperatures and tiny amounts of rain and snow — are occurring at the same time because of climate change, the study shows. Researchers also found that the worst droughts in the state's history happened when it was dry and warm, and global warming is increasing the chance that those weather patterns will take place at the same time, USA Today reports. The study's leader, Noah Diffenbaugh, said having dry years that are also warm would not happen without human influence, like burning fossil fuels.

Not everyone agrees with the Stanford study, which appeared in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scientist Martin Hoerling with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that most of the warm temperatures have been caused by a ridge of high pressure in the atmosphere that minimized rain and snow, and those natural weather patterns were the main cause of the drought.

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