In the Northern Hemisphere in 2017 and 2018 brought several destructive hurricanes to the shores of North America, the Caribbean, and throughout the Pacific rim. Such extreme weather events are predicted to get more common and more severe with increasing climate change.
Several participating classes in the ISCFC were or are in the path of these storms and we hope for the best for them, their families and communities.
We would love to hear from students affected directly and indirectly by extreme weather events, and also any students who have been following the news this summer.
What are your thoughts about the connection between climate change and extreme weather events? Has this hurricane season increased your concern about climate change or not? Do you think that US citizens and residents (and others in the region) will take climate change more seriously now?
Extreme Weather >
Extremadura (Spain) Extreme Weather
Hello everyone,
My name is Miguel, and I hail from Badajoz, Spain. I've observed a significant shift in our local climate over recent years, which has prompted me to share my experiences and thoughts on this matter.
I've been discussing these changes with my colleagues at my job in PYMES HACKS Badajoz, and we've all noticed the same trends. Traditionally, Badajoz experiences distinct seasonal variations, with relatively cold winters and hot summers. However, the pattern seems to be altering. The winters are becoming noticeably milder, with fewer instances of the biting cold that was once commonplace. On the other hand, the summers have intensified, with temperatures soaring to new highs, making them increasingly unbearable.
This change in weather patterns is not just a subject of casual observation but raises concerns about the broader implications for our environment, agriculture, water resources, and overall lifestyle in Badajoz. It's evident that these climatic shifts may be symptomatic of global climate change, reflecting the broader environmental challenges facing our planet.
I invite discussions and insights on this topic, hoping to foster a better understanding of local climate changes and their global ramifications. It's crucial for communities worldwide to share their experiences, as this collective knowledge can be instrumental in addressing the environmental crises we face.
Warm regards, Miguel from Badajoz, Spain
Your post made me think about a government program (I think a state of California one) that gives rain gauges to private citizens. This allows individuals to monitor and report data on local scales, which of course are the scales at which people actually live! This is crucial, because current climate models don't translate well down to local scales.
So participating in programs like these allow citizens to engage in important scientific data gathering that will improve our "collective knowledge", as you say Miguel.