andyt andyt:
I'm so worried, on my next shopping trip I'm going to look at meat alternatives. every pound of beef takes 1800 liters of water to produce. Milk averages out to about 1000 liters. I don't use much milk, but won't give up my kefir and cheese.
I've been using pulses and barley as my proteins. Black Bean, Corn and barley salad is just freaking awesome for the summer.

I buy beef, but it's only for the cat.
Zipperfish Zipperfish:
It's difficult to say if it's the "new normal." The Pacific Blob is big chunk of the North Pacific that is currently about 2 degrees warmer than normal, which is pretty significant. It may just be a part of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, which we don't understand all that well, or it may be climate change, or, more likely, it may be a combination of both. There's also a moderate El Nino. But the Blob seems to be the main culprit for the unseasonable weather we're having.
What worries me is this 'Omega' pattern we've been in since . . the fall? Last Summer?
It seems to be 'the new normal'.
