Taking Action Against Rising Temperatures
The “Sunshine State” may have taken its name too seriously this 2023 summer, with temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit nearly every day and Floridians becoming concerned.
The summer season had many excited for its hot weather, times in the cool water, and tanning, but increasing temperatures have created an issue that scientists predicted in the past. The intense heat has the potential to be the new normal nowadays.
“We have very high scientific confidence that the world will continue to experience summers like this one and in fact that the frequency of extreme heat will intensify further in response to further global warming,” Professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University Noah Diffenbaugh said.
Florida is not the only state being affected by the uncomfortable warmth; temperatures are rising internationally. Global warming also may not be the sole contributor to the sweltering heat. Scientists consider El Niño and weather system differences influences as well.
“Weather systems and weather patterns sometimes they’re slower in the summer than they are in the wintertime and as a result of that, what happens is you have prolonged temperature anomalies,” Research meteorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Andy Hoell said.
He added that El Niño is also “driving anomalies in the atmosphere,” and is causing “some fraction of the heat waves.”
June temperatures compared to the 20th-century average for each year from 1850 to 2023. The final bar is the tallest: 2023 set a new high for the warmest June on record. Graphics by NOAA Climate.gov, based on data from NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information.
It should be considered that human activity is a major factor in rising temperatures. Industries around transportation, agriculture, and land use release fossil fuels that contribute greatly to carbon dioxide emissions. These emissions absorb and radiate heat, which is detrimental to the environment.
“Since systematic scientific assessments began in the 1970s, the influence of human activity on the warming of the climate system has evolved from theory to established fact," according to an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Society has a considerable impact on the environment, yet efforts being made to prevent increases in hot temperatures may not be enough to save the Earth. Cooperative action needs to be taken as soon as possible before the problem is deemed permanent.
“If this planet does not get its act together — if we in Congress do not get our act together — the planet that we’re going to be leaving our children and future generations will be increasingly unhealthy and uninhabitable,” United States Senator Bernie Sanders said.
As a result of the rising concern over the intense heat, people wonder what measures can be taken to help prevent further increases in temperature and therefore improve the environment. Let the economy start investing in clean energy, changing ways of transportation, and considering low-carbon living.