Temperatures this past summer prove that global warming may not being affecting every climate and place the same, as explained an article posted on the website for the Environmental News Network. The averages for June-August 2009 for the United States are the 34th coolest on record, according to the article.
The average for the summer 2009 for the United States was "71.7 degrees F. This was 0.4 degrees F below the 20th Century average. The 2008 average summer temperature was 72.7 degrees F."Over the summer the United States as a whole had a decrease in average temperature but states such as Florida, Washington and Texas had some of their hottest recorded summers in history. "Florida had its fourth warmest summer, while Washington and Texas experienced their eighth and ninth warmest, respectively."
According to an article on the National Climate Data Center website, the Northeast region of the U.S., including Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, Mass., and New Hampshire, experienced some of the wettest weather they have ever seen. "For the summer season (June–August), the Northeast Region had its eighth wettest period on record."
It seems that global warming has indeed affected certain areas differently than other, even within the U.S.. While some areas experienced high temperatures, a lot of areas experienced record low temperatures. This proves that global warming is having an effect on our climate, but the results are varied and inconsistent.
Here is a video describing the effects of global warming courtesy of MSNBC.
The video stated that the United States must cut GHG emissions by 83% by 2050, but the threats displayed are taking effect today. The droughts in the Mid West, the terrible floods on the coast, and the powerful storms that have already made themselves prominent in this country are taking a toll on the people. With these current events reaping havoc on these places it is making it dramatically more difficult for some people to get by. Out in the Mid West where water is a growing concern is extremely dangerous because of the dependency on farm production, and when crops no longer are able to be sustained the whole economy in that area will plummet. These climate changes have much more at stake than just bettering the environment; people’s lives are being affected as we speak. I know if I were a farmer or a person whose house was swept away by a raging flood would be asking why 2050? Why do I have to wait that long to see action finally being taken? The lives of these people will be virtually disintegrated at that point with the projections of the possible devastations these storms can bring, and even the ones that we have witnessed ourselves. I am not saying that a cure is possible, but shouldn’t we be making changes now? We certainly have the technology and means to fight back available at our fingertips, why do we keep putting off action for years into the future instead of attacking it now?
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