Global Warming is Here and Getting Worse, Report Says
Heavier rainfall, more scorching hot summer days, shorter winters, and spreading dead zones in the Chesapeake Bay – these are a few of the local impacts of global warming, according to a report released today by the Obama Administration.
The gist: Global warming is already here and only going to get worse.
Among the scarier scenarios for the D.C.-area: Heavy rains, like the ones we’ve had recently, will lead to more flooding and waterborne diseases. D.C. is particularly vulnerable because we have an antique “combined sewer system” that carries storm water and sewerage in the same pipes. When the system gets swamped, sewerage overflows into rivers, drinking water supplies and swimming holes. Not a pretty picture and one that will increasingly expose District residents to waterborne parasites that cause diarrhea-like ailments with exotic names such as Cryptosporidium and Giardiasis.
For the full report, click here. For news from the press conference, check out this AP story. Meanwhile, the Guardian, says the report is part of the Obama Administration's "carefully crafted strategy" to push through the climate change bill currently before Congress.
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8:41 pm
Ok, one sec while I get up to close the window and add a sweatshirt because it's really friggin cold outside today. Cold, yes, I said it. Cold. Now, seriously - I believe global warming is happening but it does seem that from one day to the next, the evidence of it ("scorching" summer days - have we had a scorcher yet?) really changes. May is the month with the most rainfall. For the past two or three summers, we were in droughts. Which is it? Again, I believe warming is happening, but the evidence is hard to pin down, and often in news accounts seems anecdotal at best. For instance, I've heard that global warming means warmer winters and cooler summers.