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From where we live in the North Valley, we sometimes have reason to drive over the Rio Grande on the Monta帽o bridge. Thousands of people drive this bridge every day, in both directions. From the bridge, there is a beautiful view of our iconic Rio Grande.

Except that the Rio Grande has not been looking so grande of late. For several months, flow in the river has been at record lows, and for the past few weeks, the river at the Monta帽o bridge has been completely dry.

The reason the Rio Grande has been so dry this year is record-low snowpack in the river鈥檚 headwaters up north.

The reason there is record-low snowpack in the Rio Grande headwaters is that the western U.S. has been experiencing record-high temperatures, especially in winter and spring. High temperatures melt what snow there is, but they also cause winter precipitation to fall as rain instead. Snow persists on the landscape through the winter and into spring, so its moisture is released slowly. That keeps rivers like the Rio Grande flowing.

And the reason that the West is experiencing record-high temperatures is all those cars driving over the Monta帽o bridge.

The combustion of fossil fuels is the primary reason that global temperatures are setting records nearly every year 鈥� and that is not a good thing.

Our national addiction to fossil fuels is one of the factors driving the rise in global temperatures. Every gallon of gasoline we burn puts 5.5 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Americans consume over 137 billion gallons of gasoline every year, which works out to over 753 billion pounds of carbon. Earth鈥檚 atmosphere is large, but it鈥檚 not that large. These huge emissions of greenhouse gases add up, and they are taking their toll on the planet. And us. And the Rio Grande.

Other countries around the world are already turning away from fossil fuels and making the transition to the zero-carbon economy, which is the future of the global economy. In Europe, electric and hybrid vehicles are already more than half of the new-car market. Soon, other countries will not want our gas-guzzling cars at all. China is the largest manufacturer of EVs in the world; they see clearly where the world market is going, while we are sleepwalking in a dream that fossil fuels will continue to power our economy forever. They won鈥檛. Their time is running out, and not soon enough.

We are fortunate to drive an EV, which means we have not been exposed to the recent spike in gasoline prices. We are doubly fortunate that the power for our EV comes entirely from solar panels on our roof; this is truly zero-carbon transportation. We realize that not everyone can do this, at least not now. But wouldn鈥檛 it be in the national interest to subsidize solar power throughout the sun-drenched Southwest, and start turning the corner toward a more sustainable future? Because sustainable is one thing that the fossil fuel economy is not.

I don鈥檛 know what fraction of the drivers on the Monta帽o bridge look at the dry Rio Grande and make these connections. Maybe it鈥檚 a lot, maybe not too many. But there is no question that the sooner more of them are crossing that beleaguered river in an EV, or bicycle, or on foot, the sooner the river will start flowing again.

Don Falk is professor emeritus of natural resources at the University of Arizona.