North Carolina News Service
RALEIGH, N.C. – With much of the state expected to experience unseasonably warm temperatures this week, more than one person might utter the words “global warming.” A report released today points to climate change as a key factor.
The National Climate Assessment confirms that the average temperature in the U.S. has increased by about 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit since 1895, and 80 percent of that increase has happened in the last three decades.
Kim Knowlton is a senior scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) Health and Environment Program and a lead author of the National Climate Assessment. She says warming temperatures are not part of the natural order of things.
“Not only is climate change a real and measurable effect, but it’s mostly human-caused. Climate change is caused by carbon pollution, and that’s caused by human activities,” Knowlton explains.
The assessment projects that temperatures in the U.S. will increase another 2 degrees to 4 degrees Fahrenheit in the next few decades, prompting increased occurrences of extreme weather events such as the severe storms and tornadoes experienced last week. Scientists emphasize the importance of reducing heat-trapping greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere.
One species thriving in the warming temperatures in North Carolina is the mosquito. Scientist Mary Hayden, National Center for Atmospheric Research, warns that as a result, the mosquito breed that carries diseases such as Dengue fever could spread.
“As we see temperatures becoming warmer and warmer farther north, it’s likely that the geographic range of this mosquito will expand,” Hayden says.
According to state data, more than 800 cases of mosquito and tick-born illnesses were reported in North Carolina in 2013.
Scientists involved in the analysis also found that climate change is having a significant effect on water supplies in areas of the southeast and beyond. Knowlton says with the warming temperatures touching all aspects of life that humans need to survive, the time to act is now.
“We really can’t afford to lose another decade in dealing with the issue of climate change,” she says. “We’re now at the point where we have so much information, so much evidence, we can no longer plead ignorance.”
North Carolina’s coast is also feeling the impact. Rising water levels and increased levels of acidity are affecting fish, corals and marine-based food production.
More information is available at http://1.usa.gov. The draft assessment is available for download, both as a single document and by chapter, at http://ncadac.globalchange.gov.
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