(Not) shocking news: Global warming causes extreme weather

In light of recent flooding in the Midwest that has sunk much of the region -- particularly Iowa -- underwater, a new report by the U.S. Climate Change Science Program should be required reading for anyone concerned about global warming. The report confirms what other scientists have asserted before: Global warming is altering the frequency and severity of many extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts and hurricanes -- and the worst may be yet to come.

From Earth Times:

The report, Weather and Climate Extremes in a Changing Climate – Regions of Focus: North America, Hawaii, Caribbean, and U.S. Pacific Islands, which was issued by the government’s Climate Change Science Program (CCSP), is the first to specifically assess observed and projected changes in weather and climate extremes for North America. It states that the greatest impacts of climate change on society and wildlife will be experienced through changes in extreme weather events as global temperatures increase.

Dr. Richard Moss, WWF’s vice president for climate change, who previously headed up the CCSP coordination office under both the Clinton and Bush administrations, said today’s report illustrates the nation’s economic vulnerability to climate change and reinforces the need to implement a national preparedness strategy.

“As this report shows, climate change is directly affecting each and every one of us and threatens significant physical and economic harm,” said Moss. “While no single storm can be directly attributed to climate change, the scientific evidence clearly shows that as the climate warms, extreme weather events will become more intense and more frequent.

The whole report is worth a read, but here are the major findings at a glance:

• Abnormally hot days and nights, along with heat waves, are very likely to become more common. Cold nights are very likely to become less common.
• Sea ice extent is expected to continue to decrease and may even disappear in the Arctic Ocean in summer in coming decades.
• Precipitation, on average, is likely to be less frequent but more intense.
• Droughts are likely to become more frequent and severe in some regions.
• Hurricanes will likely have increased precipitation and wind.
• The strongest cold-season storms in the Atlantic and Pacific are likely to produce stronger winds and higher extreme wave heights.

This chart illustrates just how costly this global warming-fueled extreme weather will be to the country:

The president has recently toured -- albeit briefly -- parts of the Midwest and called for aid to affected states, but in the long term none of this will be enough. Instead of having an adminstration that continually plays interception for fossil fuel industries and pressures the EPA to fight state's efforts to regulate CO2 emissions, we need leadership that will reach for the large-scale solutions required to solve the climate challenge.

Unless we get such leadership from the next administration, the next president will find himself visiting the Midwest (and other parts of the country) in the wake of extreme weather events much more often than he would like.