16 terrifying pics of Spain's growing desert you should show a climate-change doubter.
If nothing changes, southern Spain will be a desert by 2100.
If you're headed to the beach in southern Spain, this probably isn't what you're envisioning:
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
In July, this duo was spotted sunbathing at the Entrepenas reservoir in Duron, the second largest reservoir in Spain.
And the pics really are worth a thousand words.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
The reservoir has shrunken dramatically as water levels drop.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
The receding water has given way to cracked, arid soil...
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
...and abandoned relics reflecting a region that once revolved around life on the water.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Like the reservoir itself, tourism, and the local economy that benefits from it, are drying up too.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
So, what the heck is going on at the Entrepenas reservoir? Where has all the water gone?
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
The area's severe drought and dusty countryside are indicative of a larger force shaping landscapes across southern Spain.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
Yep, you guessed it: climate change.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
A 2016 study spelled disaster for the lush Mediterranean region due to human activity.
By 2100, southern Spain will have transformed into a desert, researchers have found — unless drastic measures are taken, like, now, to slash carbon emissions to curb the worsening effects of global warming.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
“The effect of the human is to deforest, to replace with agriculture and so on," lead author of the study, Joel Guiot of Aix-Marseille University, told The Guardian last year.
"You change the vegetation cover, the albedo, the humidity in the soil, and you will emphasize the drought when you do that," he continued, noting the Mediterranean is already very susceptible to the consequences of a warming planet. "If you have the [direct] human impact, it will be worse."
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
You don't have to be in southern Spain to see the alarming effects of climate change, of course.
In the U.S., researchers have pointed to similar dismal findings when it comes to global warming's impact on things like domestic tourism, expenses related to natural disasters, and food production.
Scientists, however, have not found a friend in the White House.
Unlike other prominent world leaders, President Trump has publicly rebuked the vast majority of climate scientists who say global warming is real and humans are to blame. He appointed Scott Pruitt — who's argued that the science surrounding climate change is still up for debate — to run the EPA. He's hellbent on resurrecting a dying, dirty coal industry and, in June, announced plans to pull the U.S. out of the world's best hope to collectively confront the woes of global warming: the Paris climate agreement.
Why doesn't Trump care?
Mother Nature certainly doesn't care about our national borders.
Similar consequences seen in southern Spain can also be seen in the U.S. and around the world.
Wildfires scorch the land near Santa Barbara, California, in July 2017. Photo by David McNew/Getty Images.
We need to act. Now.
Or else sad-looking beach day photos will become the norm.
Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images.
To learn more about climate change and to take action, visit the Sierra Club.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."