For years, scientists have talked about limiting the warming to 1.5 C as a warning for limiting greenhouse gases. Beyond this point, tipping points are approached with potentially devastating damage. We were on track to reach a point in the 2030s, giving us a little time. But guess what: WE PASSED this point in 2023 and 2024. The warmest temperature on the planet was observed less than 2 weeks ago.
Why is the OK with our politicians? Why is ok with us? Why is it ok that the young ones being born today will have to grapple with a Climate Crisis every year, month, week, and day of their lives as adults?
Climate change is real and has been popping up in all kinds of ways for the last few decades, but especially during the last year. This has been the warmest year on record, globally, nationally, states, and locally. The presidential candidates have spoken about issues of the day – migration, inflation and the economy. But the big dog is lurking right behind us (tens of millions in the US and billions globally) — Climate Change.
Some of you are thinking… the global mean temperatures will revert back to past time, right? Well, I have some bad news for you. It has not reverted back in more than 40 years. Furthermore, a big jump in ocean temperatures has been behind the recent warming and not just El Nino. Most of the oceans around the globe have warmed. Well, the ocean is like a huge bathtub of warm that will not cool down quickly, and because Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are only increasing and trapping infrared radiation, it is acting to keep the ocean from cooling down. There are few scientists in the world who can tell you why the oceans have warmed up over the last 2 years without talking about anthropogenic GHGs.
I know that President Biden is aware of the situation and has implemented policies to address GHG emissions, but along the way has had to compromise. That is nice politically, but the climate system doesn’t care about politics, wars, or anything else except the GHG forcing that humans are imposing on it. It will respond, and when it does there is no comeback, only reaction.
People are worried about the economy, but the many billion-dollar disasters are also taking their toll right here in America. People are worried about migration. Guess what, the climate crisis is already forcing people to migrate all around the world. What’s more, we already know what climate migration looked like in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.
The US and Europe want their borders closed. Keep playing with this climate crisis, and you won’t be able to stop anyone because you won’t know which direction they are migrating from. In the US, you gonna have this problem at the state level because people will be migrating within the US. Who knows, maybe Americans will be migrating north across the border into Canada because of the climate crisis.
President Trump has vowed to “drill baby drill” from day one. That’s a bad idea, sir. We have to go the other way and fast so that future generations won’t have to deal with the horrible consequences and also the costs of a much warmer planet. Trump, who is on your science team? They aren’t telling you the truth. You need to fire them.
This upcoming week, Tropical Cyclone Debby will make landfall in Florida. Well that is normal this time of year, but take note of two factors… rapid intensification and the flooding that is expected. On Saturday, at landfall the max winds were about 65-75 MPH and today it expected to be stronger at landfall.
The warming oceans lead to stronger tropical cyclones if conditions such as shear and dry air are not present. The ocean temperature are above normal across most of the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico.
The second issue is the potentially catastrophic rainfall that is expected this week. Once the storm makes landfall, the steering currents aloft will collapse, and the storm will rain out in the SE United States. The forecast does not call for a strong enough trough to move Debby northeast until next weekend. So rainfall amounts of more than 1 foot is possible, and flooding is a beast. Where do you evacuate to?
Flooding could be the real story of this tropical cyclone event . In addition to climate change leading to warmer oceans, which can lead to stronger hurricanes, the atmosphere can hold more water vapor, leading to greater rain amounts.
So I ask, why isn’t climate change a leading topic in this presidential race, at the dinner table, and on the minds of Americans? Let’s see how the climate crisis plays over this week, the hurricane season, and the rest of this year. I have a feeling that the climate crisis conversation is one that we can’t ignore forever.