Blog & News Round-up 8/21: extreme weather and more Astroturf
Blog & News Round-up 8/21: extreme weather and more Astroturf
Hurricane season is in full swing and the hot, sticky days of summer are here - welcome back August! But, even if you’re not currently battling 90 degree temperatures with 70% humidity, look out: these nasty conditions could be on their way to your city -- yes, even you, Boston and Denver.
A new study by Climate Central reveals that by 2050 temperatures in August typical of cities like Phoenix could be the norm for Sacramento; 12 major cities could experience 90°F heat on at least half the days in August with a dozen more reaching 100F°! This amounts to more than just increased sweating and uncomfortable conditions. It poses many health hazards, and has a negative impact on the atmosphere.
Heat is a catalyst for the formation of smog, which is formed from a toxic soup of volatile organic compounds, tailpipe and smokestack exhaust, and strong sunlight. The lungs of infants, children, and the elderly are by far the most vulnerable to smog inhalation, which can lead to hospitalization and death.
And, what do you do when it gets hot - you go inside and blast the AC, of course. Well, not so fast, maybe that won't help you beat the heat:
Air conditioning drives peak demand for electricity in most industrialized societies and broader adoption could require the construction of expensive and polluting power plants. Air conditioners are also major drivers, along with black asphalt, of the urban heat island effect. According to the EPA, the annual mean air temperature of a city with 1 million people or more can be 1.8° to 5.4°F warmer than its surroundings.
We can sum up this reciprocal relationship easily: global warming begets global warming. This increased temperature is also detrimental to trees that may not be able to handle the heat, and the loss of trees means hotter houses and buildings, yet more AC, and more demand for electricity. And, as if we needed any more evidence that the world should to ditch coal, it happens that the loss of trees and the increasing urbanization of land lead to something mentioned above: an urban heat island. They're bad news, but there are some neat ways to fight them (which would create more green jobs) so definitely read more about it!
Unfortunately, it's not just temperatures we have to worry about. Climate change will do more than just warm the globe, its effects will bring about more extreme weather across the board; wildfires, drought, hurricanes, and flooding could all become more severe and costly. In a summary based on several recently released reports by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA -- PDF), and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC -- PDF), Center for American Progress climate expert Daniel J. Weiss reports:
Hurricane Claudette hit the Florida panhandle Sunday, lashing it with heavy rains. Hurricane Bill is gathering strength in the Atlantic, and is “poised to grow into a major storm” later this week. It could hit the East Coast as a Category 3 storm with 121 mile-per-hour winds. Meanwhile, “hot, dry winds and high temperatures continue to fan wildfires across California.” Recent wildfires in the state have burned over 100,000 acres.These events have a common thread. The ferocity of tropical storms and spread of wildfires will increase as the planet warms...
One report concludes that: In the future, with continued global warming, heat waves and heavy downpours are very likely to further increase in frequency and intensity. Substantial areas of North America are likely to have more frequent droughts of greater severity. Hurricane wind speeds, rainfall intensity, and storm surge levels are likely to increase. The strongest cold season storms are likely to become more frequent, with stronger winds and more extreme wave heights."
Weiss sates:
NOAA’s recent report outlines how “hurricane rainfall and wind speeds are likely to increase in response to human-caused warming” Analyses of model simulations suggest that for each 1ºC (1.8ºF) increase in tropical sea surface temperatures, core rainfall rates will increase by 6 percent to 18 percent, and the surface wind speeds of the strongest hurricanes will increase by about 1 percent to 8 percent.
He analyzed the number of presidential disaster declarations per month over time, and was able to link them to the rising number of extreme weather events as climate change increases.
Since 1969, presidential disaster declarations for floods, storms, and wildfires rose by 43 percent...Examining the data by year reveals the upward trend in declarations beginning in 1989.NOAA maintains a comprehensive record of weather and climate, and published a graph on federal disasters that cost over $1 billion in the last 28 years. The graph shows a consistent rise in the number of events over $1 billion since 1980.
As more of these reports come out, I am amazed that there are still people out there that deny climate change is a serious matter that will have disastrous consequences. Senator John Barrasso (R-WY),for instance, who cited a flawed report claiming that the science of climate change is based on is "inclusive at best". Even if it's for political gain, it's just ridiculous.
In other news, the story of the woman who crashed the Energy Citizens rally in Houston has gotten some major press. The so-called rally was intended only for those affiliated with API, as in, employees. Videos of her and others’ experience getting kicked out of the rally have popped up all over the place, including some airtime on Rachel Maddow!
In a report of another Energy Citizens rally, it looks like they’re becoming
