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 >
Extreme Weather
I agree that the increased number of hurricanes in the past years is a result of the carbon dioxide production in the United States. The US emits more CO2 than most countries in the world, therefore the production rate is very high. This large amount of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere is a major contributor to the hurricanes. KILN, a company that creates a visual of collected data, constructed a digital Carbon Map. This map allows the viewer to see how much carbon extraction, emission, consumption, historical emission, and the potential CO2 emission still in reserves for each country of the world.. According to this Carbon Map the US produced 5,233.2 million tons of CO2 in 2013, the second highest in the world, China being the first. This number is considered very high on a global scale, and must be lowered.
The United States are one of the leading countries in carbon dioxide emission. This directly results is more intense climate change throughout the globe. Americans need to start lowing their individual carbon footprint in order to lower the effects of clima te change. This can be done in many affordable, simple ways. For example, if people turned off the lights when they leave a room, it would have a huge impact on their overall carbon footprint. It also takes under three seconds. Furthermore, this act saves you money because you will use less electricity, and your electric bill will be cheaper. Another option is to try and bike or walk more often. Without the usage of your car, which emits high amounts of CO2, your carbon footprint will vastly decrease. This also again saves you money because you do not have to pay for gas. While it might take you more time to commute, it also gives you exercise, a key component to staying healthy. These are some ways to decrease one’s individual carbon footprint. As a result the overall CO2 production of the country would plummet.
Carbon map: http://www.carbonmap.org/