According to the National Climate Assessment, a scientific report released May 6, climate change is not something reserved for our children’s children in the distant future. Rather, global warming is happening right now and is affecting society in a major way.
This year’s National Climate Assessment was compiled by a large panel of climate scientists, and reviewed and approved by a committee representing American society. The report was supervised by the federal government, but to ensure fairness, the approval committee included representatives from many different industries, including two oil companies.
The report was compiled as a result of a Congressional order from 1990, which ordered a major scientific assessment of climate change to be assembled every four years. Here are some of the ominous predications the assessment made about climate change in the United States.
It Affects the Entire United States
It’s easy to ignore a problem if it doesn’t directly affect you, which may be why the United States as a whole has been so slow to recognize the dangers of global warming. Many Americans are at best apathetic about climate change, and some on the far right refuse to acknowledge it exists. Some have felt it’s not their problem, as they previously believed they wouldn’t see the effects during their lifetime.
People living inland may also not have been as worried about climate change as those who live on the coast. However, the National Climate Assessment found climate change affects every part of the United States and is happening right now.
Severe Storms Will Only Become More Common
In all parts of the county, severe weather events, such as droughts, floods and hurricanes are becoming more common and severe as the average global temperature goes up. In the past century, the average temperature has gone up by two degrees Fahrenheit. That may not sound like much, but even two degrees of warming has dire consequences for our society.
Torrential, almost Biblical rains are occurring fairly often in the wetter parts of the country. Precipitation has increased in general in the eastern half of the country. In the South, the incidence of heavy rain events has gone up 27 percent. Elsewhere, it’s even worse — it’s increased by 37 percent in the Midwest and a whopping 71 percent in the Northeast. This has caused severe flooding and landslides in places like Tennessee, Florida, Colorado and Washington state.
Precipitation is not the only effect of global warming. In dry areas, rain is becoming scarcer, and longer periods of warmth are causing heat-loving insects to overpower ones who are more suited to our past climate. In the West, American pine beetles are reproducing at an exponential rate and are destroying our trees.
Somewhat ironically, global warming can even cause more severe winter weather. This past winter, many parts of our country experienced an unusually cold deep freeze caused by the polar vortex. This was likely due to excess warmth at the Arctic Circle, which pushed frigid air down further south than usual.
Could Your Home Be Underwater?
One effect of more water is a rising sea level. The United Nations previously said we could expect up to a three-foot rise in sea levels by the end of the century. With newer data, though, scientists say to expect anywhere from one to four feet, and even six could be possible if we don’t curb our emissions.
If sea levels were to rise this much, many coastal areas of our nation, including major cities like New York, could be partially submerged in seawater. If you’re curious about how sea levels could impact your town, check out the web-based Surging Seas app.
The Only Solution? Cut Pollution!
Fortunately, the situation is not totally hopeless — at least not yet. We could reduce the rate of global warming if we could drastically cut our carbon emissions. Burning fossil fuels and releasing pollutants into the atmosphere is like power washing the ozone away, which makes it easier for the sun’s harmful rays to reach us. However, the ozone does have the ability to repair itself over time, and at the very least we could cut down on further damage to our atmosphere.
The United States produces more carbon emissions per person than any other nation in the world. If we all were to live greener, more sustainable lives, it could go a long way towards saving our planet and society as we know it.
Image by Slawek Puklo