*Hmmm. Guess I’ll post this, since it’s too hot to go outside here in Austin.
*People have often said that Boulder Colorado is the sister city of Austin Texas, and now that it’s shadowed by unprecedented blasts of wildfire, that’s even more evident.
*Nice place, Boulder, I’ve been there many times. This look familiar to you guys?
http://www.flickr.com/photos/brucesterling/sets/72157627602991156/
http://www.c2es.org/blog/huberd/hot-weather-springing-2012
HOT WEATHER SPRINGING UP IN 2012
Submitted by Dan Huber | 06/21/2012
“The U.S. has just come through the warmest spring on record—indeed, the warmest 12-month stretch since record-keeping began. (((That’s also true of sweltering Italy, so you’d think maybe the entire globe had warmed, or something.)))
“With headlines like “Warmest spring heats up economy,” readers weary of bad economic news might be forgiven for thinking that a little global warming is not such a bad thing. But the warming we’ve experienced globally over the past 30 years is more than “a little.” And in the U.S., it’s likely contributing to drought and wildfires in the West and more extreme weather nationwide. (((Why do people still bow the knee to denialists, in such a cravenly and dishonest fashion, when Florida’s drowning and Colorado’s on fire? It’s like watching people burned at the stake making nice to the Inquisition.)))
“This past May came in as the second warmest on record globally, trailing only May of 2010. For land area only, it was the warmest on record, at 2.18 degrees F above average. It was also the 36th consecutive May, going back to 1976, with global temperatures above the 20th-century average.
“So far in the U.S., 2012 has featured a historic run of hot weather, starting with a “Summer in March” that smashed temperature records across the country. (((August is still ahead, you know.))) Since then, temperatures across much of the U.S. have hardly cooled. For the first time since records began in 1885, March, April, and May all ranked among the top 10 warmest.
“Overall, this past spring averaged 5.2 degrees F above average, breaking the previous record by an unprecedented 2 degrees. The U.S. Climate Extremes Index, which tracks the percent of the country experiencing extremes in temperature, precipitation, drought, and tropical cyclones, hit a record high of 44 percent, double the normal value for this time of year. (((There’s a heap of climate change coming on the back of this. Contemplate the summers of 2022, 2032, 2042.)))
“The impact of this unusually hot weather goes well beyond employers picking up summer help a month early and car buyers shifting purchases from June to May. (((How about “car buyers shifting purchasers” because their homes were consumed by flames and floods?))) As early as April 25, some news outlets were warning of the enhanced risk of drought and wildfire from the near record low snowpacks throughout the western United States. Unfortunately, these warnings proved prescient, (((You don’t have to predict the future when you live in it))) as wildfires in New Mexico broke state records (set just last year) and the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history has burned 189 homes amid reduced snowpack levels and forests weakened by pine bark beetle outbreaks related to recent warm winters.
“In addition, drought has expanded across the west, reducing water supplies for an already stressed region. Last year, Texas alone lost more than $7 billion from drought and the state has yet to recover from the water shortages and or the economic fallout. (((Why would it “recover” if the weather hasn’t “recovered”?))) Elsewhere, forests ravaged by fire and pine bark beetle will take decades to recover, (((How? Next summer will be hotter yet))) as will the jobs and businesses they help sustain. (((We ALREADY decided that wilderness matters less than oil. Nobody has “wars for wilderness.”)))
“When adding up the costs and benefits of extreme weather, it is important to consider whether a few weeks of nice weather and any short-term economic boost they might generate are worth the longer term costs incurred, including the risk of billions in drought losses and thousands of homes destroyed by wildfire. Climate change presents both opportunities and risks, but over the long haul, the risks of unabated climate change will almost certainly eclipse the opportunities.” (((Who is supposed to be reading this? Who is this supposed to persuade? The wolf’s in the living room.)))
Dan Huber is a Science & Policy Fellow at C2ES.
