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When I first started thinking about global warming, I wanted to find ways to make the future seem more real to my children and grandchildren. I figured this would be a challenge because they will be living in a world that is quite different from the one they see around them today.
Thanks to the folks at Climate Central, I have found at least one thing that gives a real sense of just what may lie ahead. They worked up some models for several major American cities that compares what August was like during the 1980's and 1990's with what it could be like in 2050.
In building their model, they used a medium-high greenhouse gas emissions scenario from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change study. They also note that the rate of change has exceeded that scenario.
When you look at their listing of cities that already have 10 or more days in the 90's, the usual suspects jump right out: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Phoenix, Orlando and Tampa Bay. These cities are already pretty hot and will just get hotter. Dallas will be plain unlivable in August, with the projected number of days over 100 degrees jumping from 10 to 19.
The folks in for a jolt are in places like Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Detroit, Denver, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. The number of days over 90 degrees in August will pretty much double for these cities. In Detroit, the average could go from 2 to 14 days over 90 degrees. The Windy City could go from 4 days over 90 degress to 14 days.
What does this mean for us? Well, think back to the Chicago heat wave of 1995 and the 2003 European heat wave, which killed an estimated 40,000 people. If you are old or have breathing problems, things could get rough.
Bottom Line: If you like cooler weather, go North -- and I mean way up North -- young man.
This article first appeared on www.PlanetRestart.org.
