New York Times Editorial - Taking the temperature
New York Times Editorial - Taking the temperature
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 1, 2006
While parts of Europe have been experiencing an exceptionally hot summer, in North America the searing heat wave that broiled California for two weeks is now baking the Middle West. It's enough to make us wonder whether this is all the fault of global warming.
For some areas, this is clearly not an ordinary summer. The U.S. National Climatic Data Center says that more than 50 cities in the continental United States have set new records for high temperature. Woodland Hills, California, outside Los Angeles, reported 21 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), beating its old mark by six days. Still, it is not clear that this heat wave is as bad as the one that struck in the 1930s, setting many records that still stand. Nor is it demonstrably worse than in the 1950s, when a thermometer in downtown Los Angeles reportedly hit 130 degrees before blowing its top.
Virtually all climate experts agree that it is impossible to attribute any single weather event - a heat wave, drought or hurricane - to global warming, given the myriad factors that influence weather. The most one can say is that, in a gradually warming world, heat waves are likely to become more intense, frequent and longer lasting.
Experts disagree on whether we have entered that realm already. The only certainty is that this hot spell will remind a lot of people that global warming is something to avoid.
Copyright by The New York Times
Published: August 1, 2006
While parts of Europe have been experiencing an exceptionally hot summer, in North America the searing heat wave that broiled California for two weeks is now baking the Middle West. It's enough to make us wonder whether this is all the fault of global warming.
For some areas, this is clearly not an ordinary summer. The U.S. National Climatic Data Center says that more than 50 cities in the continental United States have set new records for high temperature. Woodland Hills, California, outside Los Angeles, reported 21 consecutive days of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius), beating its old mark by six days. Still, it is not clear that this heat wave is as bad as the one that struck in the 1930s, setting many records that still stand. Nor is it demonstrably worse than in the 1950s, when a thermometer in downtown Los Angeles reportedly hit 130 degrees before blowing its top.
Virtually all climate experts agree that it is impossible to attribute any single weather event - a heat wave, drought or hurricane - to global warming, given the myriad factors that influence weather. The most one can say is that, in a gradually warming world, heat waves are likely to become more intense, frequent and longer lasting.
Experts disagree on whether we have entered that realm already. The only certainty is that this hot spell will remind a lot of people that global warming is something to avoid.
posted by Carlos T Mock at 11:41 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home