WHAT IS CLIMATE CHANGE?
“Climate Change is the defining issue of our time and we are at a defining moment. It is considered the biggest global health threat, including the health of the American people. From shifting weather patterns that threaten food production, to rising sea levels that increase the risk of catastrophic flooding, the impacts of climate change are global in scope and unprecedented in scale. Without drastic action today, adapting to these impacts in the future will be more difficult and costly”
The Impact of Climate Change on Our Environment
Global Temperature Rise
The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 2.12°F since the late 19th century, driven by increased CO2 emissions into the atmosphere. Most of the warming occurred in the past 40 years, with the seven most recent years being the warmest.
Droughts and Heat Waves
Droughts in the Southwest and heat waves everywhere are projected to become more intense, and cold waves less intense everywhere.
Warming Ocean
The ocean has absorbed much of this increased heat, with the top 100 meters of ocean showing warming of more than 0.6°F since 1969. Earth stores 90% of the extra energy in the ocean.
Ocean Acidification
Since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, the acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30%. This increase is the result of humans emitting more CO2 into the atmosphere and hence more being absorbed into the ocean. The ocean has absorbed between 20% and 30% of total carbon dioxide emissions in recent decades.
Sea Level Will Rise 1-8 feet by 2100
Global sea level has risen by about 8 inches since reliable record keeping began in 1880. It is projected to rise another 1 to 8 feet by 2100. This is the result of added water from melting land ice and the expansion of seawater as it warms.
Shrinking Ice Sheets
The Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets have decreased in mass. Data from NASA's Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment show Greenland lost an average of 279 billion tons of ice per year between 1993 and 2019, while Antarctica lost about 148 billion tons of ice per year.
Glacial Retreat
Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska, and Africa.
Frost Free Season Will Lengthen
The length of the frost-free season (and the corresponding growing season) has been increasing nationally since the 1980s, with the largest increases occurring in the western United States, affecting ecosystems and agriculture. Across the United States, the growing season is projected to continue to lengthen.
Changes in Precipitation Patterns
Average U.S. precipitation has increased since 1900, but some areas have had increases greater than the national average, and some areas have had decreases. More winter and spring precipitation is projected for the northern United States, and less for the Southwest.
Hurricanes Will Become Stronger and More Intense
The intensity, frequency and duration of North Atlantic hurricanes, as well as the frequency of the strongest (Category 4 and 5) hurricanes, have all increased since the early 1980s.
Arctic Likely to Become Ice-Free
The Arctic Ocean is expected to become essentially ice free in summer before mid-century.
References
United Nations. Climate Change. https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/climate-change. Accessed: 01/13/2022.
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2014. Fifth Assessment Report. https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/syr/ Accessed: 01/23/2021
NASA. Global Climate Change: Vital Signs of the planet. Facts. https://climate.nasa.gov/evidence/ Accessed: 01/23/2021