Editorials & Other Articles

Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

(107,994 posts) Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:09 PM Sep 2018

The evidence for climate change is all around us

Hurricane Florence has drenched eastern North Carolina with more than 30 inches of rain, an all-time record for the state. Last year, Hurricane Harvey stalled over Houston and dumped more than 60 inches of rain, an all-time record for the whole country. Also last year, Hurricane Maria ravaged the island of Puerto Rico and caused, according to an independent study, nearly 3,000 deaths.

Welcome to the new normal.

Tropical cyclones are nothing new, of course. But climate scientists say that global warming should make such storms wetter, slower and more intense, which is exactly what seems to be happening. And if we fail to act, these kinds of devastating weather events will likely become even more frequent and more severe.

Climate change is a global phenomenon. Authorities in the Philippines are still trying to assess the damage and death toll from Super Typhoon Mangkhut, a rare Category 5-equivalent storm that struck the archipelago on Saturday with sustained winds of 165 miles per hour. Mangkhut went on to batter Hong Kong, and now, as it weakens, is plowing across southern China.

Every human being on the planet has a stake in what governments do to limit and adapt to climate change, including those who, like President Trump, prefer to believe global warming is some kind of hoax. I doubt the citizens of Wilmington, North Carolina — a lovely resort town that Monday was turned into an island by widespread flooding — feel there is anything illusory about the hardship they’re going through.

https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/robinson-the-evidence-for-climate-change-is-all-around-us/?utm_source=DAILY+HERALD&utm_campaign=6cfad6f94a-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_d81d073bb4-6cfad6f94a-228635337

6 replies

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The evidence for climate change is all around us (Original Post) Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin Sep 2018 OP

Record wet year in the mid-Atlantic. Florence is just adding insult to injury. lagomorph777 Sep 2018 #1

Kicked and recommended. Uncle Joe Sep 2018 #2

Wet and humid our summer was, for the most part. I live on the east coast, but the BeckyDem Sep 2018 #3

Too bad Putin likes the effects of climate change. BigmanPigman Sep 2018 #4

It seems hotter longer in the midwest. Both of us are already tired of summer ... SWBTATTReg Sep 2018 #5

ALL of NYC was a Sauna This Summer Frequency Kenneth Sep 2018 #6

lagomorph777

(30,613 posts)

1. Record wet year in the mid-Atlantic. Florence is just adding insult to injury.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:15 PM

Sep 2018

Everything is mold and mud.

Uncle Joe

(58,363 posts)

2. Kicked and recommended.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:20 PM

Sep 2018

Thanks for the thread Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin

BeckyDem

(8,361 posts)

3. Wet and humid our summer was, for the most part. I live on the east coast, but the

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:22 PM

Sep 2018

weather was more consistent with Florida. Its not that we don't see humid weather but this was extreme. I'm 64 years old, there are sharp changes people my age can recall quite well.

BigmanPigman

(51,593 posts)

4. Too bad Putin likes the effects of climate change.

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:26 PM

Sep 2018

They, like the GOP, both get richer off of allowing it to happen without controls and punishments. Russia is able to drill for oil in more places with the perma frost melting (which releases methane gas) and more land available now.

SWBTATTReg

(22,129 posts)

5. It seems hotter longer in the midwest. Both of us are already tired of summer ...

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 04:35 PM

Sep 2018

here in STLMO and it's still hot as heck, even today. Miserable, even.

It's supposed to be this way for the rest of the week, and perhaps cool off in the latter part of the week (10 degrees to 80 or so degrees, can't wait).

I know that this isn't the definition of climate change, but we've noticed that the summers are getting here earlier and leaving later and later. The springs are getter shorter if non-existent, as well as the fall (staying hotter longer and longer). Our AC bills are getting bigger and bigger each year too.

Either way, we've seen perhaps a very minimal amount of snowfall over the last 3 years or so (but we've had a drought here in MO too, this year, and the last couple of years too). At least in some areas of MO, the drought is retreating finally. Ironic really, since in the spring of this year, it seemed like it rained every other day and it was in the 100-110 heat index. Thank goodness the high heat indexes went away beginning in August of this year.

My plants (tomatoes) didn't flower either, for it was too hot earlier this year (if it too hot, plants won't flower), but finally started flowering profusely, so now we're getting tomatoes, not by the bushel, but at least a fair amount of them. My yellow squash never even flowered either, so didn't even get any, but my zucchini went nuts.

Stay cool, my friends. Stay cool.

Frequency Kenneth

(78 posts)

6. ALL of NYC was a Sauna This Summer

Reply to Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin (Original post)

Tue Sep 18, 2018, 10:51 PM

Sep 2018

Friends and family in other cities experienced similar torment.

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