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 >
Heat Wave
A few weeks ago in the San Francisco-Bay Area (where I reside), there was a massive heat wave. In San Francisco, the average temperature in August don’t surpass 70° F (21.1°C), but during the extreme heat wave, there was a record high of 106°F (41.1 °C)! Due to this outrageous heat, the air conditioning was always on at my house and family members who did not have air conditioning in their residence stayed with me until the heat passed.
Reflecting on this strange heat wave I began to wonder, “What is causing this?”. The first thing that came to mind was global warming. My conjecture: since heat is being trapped in the Earth’s atmosphere the temperatures will begin to rise, causing heat waves. I conducted some research and found that scientists believe that global warming is causing heat waves to last longer and to be more severe, according to the World Resources Institute and the Union of Concerned Scientists; which supports my claim. The severity of heat waves is also putting people at risk for health issues such as dehydration and heat stroke, demonstrating that glob al warming is becoming more of a problem. I think that the heat waves and recent hurricanes will bring more mainstream attention to global warming and illustrate to non-believers that global warming is real and must be dealt with.
I agree with this thread, I have seen significant change in Weather all over. Texas and Arizona to me, are by far, the hottest states and i've been to both. I have also seen places that are usually warm, get colder. this is VERY important, and detrimental to notice. Some people do not take this as seriously as they should.
I also agree and experienced this past heat wave in the Bay Area. It was astounding to me the degree to which the weather patterns have been disrupted in the past months here and around the world. Global warming from carbon emissions definitely appear to be the source of these recent events. If the world's climate continues on this path, with the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increasing at the rate it is now, the health of individual's will be at risk along with the life of people in the relatively near future. Our reliance on coal, oil, and natural gas for energy is far too high to be sustainable while maintaining a healthy environment on this planet. I also hope that the tragedies from the massive hurricanes and extreme temperatures will serve as a forewarning of a future that could become a reality if we as a universal community refuse to address the issue of climate change and how, in reality, we as humans create the environment we live in and the environment future generations will experience.