It was 70 degrees in Central Park and Islip on Nov. 28, a temperature that shattered a 115-year-old record for New York City and trumping Long Island’s previous of 68 degrees for that date in 1995. The mercury hit 72 degrees in Newark the same day—tying a 1973 benchmark.
Record-shattering temperatures, above-normal precipitation and extreme weather, however, are just several meteorologically consequential indicators a growing number of environmentalists, scientists and weather experts, among others, locally and from around the world, point to as part of a mounting body of evidence suggesting the Earth’s atmosphere is heating up—and heating up due to the direct actions of man via greenhouse gas emissions.
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The unprecedented local highs and unusually mild December to date cap off a year of extreme weather across the country ripe for the record books, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)—a record 12 climate and weather disasters each caused $1 billion or more in damage along with their tremendous loss of human life. Globally, nations across the planet experienced extreme weather events and natural disasters in 2011.
While it is debatable whether all the aforementioned tumultuous weather swings and tragedies can be directly linked to man-made global warming rather than a natural climate shift and events, more and more scientific research from across the globe points to a hotter future, fueled by the heat-trapping capabilities of greenhouse gases—emissions that spark a cannibalistic cycle that feeds upon itself; warmer air, warmer oceans, more of the planet’s ice melting, a rise in sea levels, increased precipitation, extreme temperatures and all the associated issues.
This past weekend delegates from 194 parties wrapped up the United Nation Climate Change Conference in Durban, South Africa, to come up with a solution—specifically by hammering out the terms for controlling carbon emissions by 2012, when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol, a binding self-imposed commitment among nearly 200 nations (not including the United States) to reduce greenhouse gases, expires. The conference reached an accord leading to an eventual agreement to be prepared by 2015 and to be fully implemented by 2020—an approach that has received criticism among some environmentalists for being too little, too late.
Long Island, simply from being just that, an island, has an increased vulnerability to the potentially disastrous effects of global warming, say experts and scientific studies. Suffolk County is the largest agricultural producer in terms of income in New York State. Our nearly 3 million residents extract their drinking water from underground aquifers. Nearly 300,000 people live on the barrier beach communities on our South Shores, and about 7,000 homes are currently within a 10-year flood plain right now. All these factors add extra significance to our plight.
“We’re at ground zero,” stresses Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment—one of many local environmentalists who have been trying to sound the alarm before it’s too late.
“It can be catastrophic,” says lifelong environmentalist Morris Kramer, of Atlantic Beach, about the disastrous wrath of rising sea levels and more intense storms on local oceanfront communities. “Just the damage to the Long Beach barrier island would be catastrophic.”
“Nature is being displaced,” warns Long Island environmentalist Lisa Schary.
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I do believe that climate change is real and not a hoax as those who believe there is no evidence.
Sea levels are rising, and it is not normal that the ice is melting faster than in past centuries.
Long Island is vulnerable and a decent amount of sea level rise will cut off the East End from the rest of the island.
Politicians and businesspeople who are against policies regarding emissions, environment, and climate need to wake up and see that the way things have been going, the Earth will be in a worse place for their descendants.
The time to act is now and we cannot wait till 2020 to act. Again, those who think climate change is a hoax need to seriously research more of the scientific studies.
And Jane, don’t call liberals fools. Please respect their ideals and maybe they won’t disrespect yours.
Sir Vee, you are a typical liberal fool….when the facts are presented, you start name calling, and everyone but YOU are idiots….great post….it really shows how immature you liberals are….
If we have the ability to change the weather why don’t we do other useful things?! How about stopping volcanoes from erupting. We can also have a national jump up and down day. All the people in the USA would jump up and down at the same time to create an earthquake. That would be fun. I can think up a lot of things to do. What makes us humans think we can determine the weather?
Jane
Shut up and go watch Fox, bitch. You have no clue what you are talking about you are making a complete ass of yourself. And so is every f***** up idiot who tries to say climate change is a hoax. It is not. Anyone who believes that has an IQ of a 10 month old.
Dear Scott,
You are as incorrect as the writer of this article.
In fact, the only theory of climate change that matches known climate change over the history of the earth, AND is predictive of future change, is Henrik Svensmark’s theory of Cloud formation and Cosmic radiation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANMTPF1blpQ
The scientific basis is explained more fully in this video by the head of the CERN CLOUD experiment. Those experiments recently confirmed the effect.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63AbaX1dE7I
The whole carbon scam is just a means for the hard core left to gain control over the industrialized economies of the world. They use gullible idealistic students like you to spread their mantra.
Wake up and smell the coffee before it is too late.
Congrats and thank you to the editorial team for devoting so much time and space to such an important issue. Your attention to LOCAL impacts highlights that this is no longer a far-off threat for only developing countries but an immediate and growing threat for U.S. communities right now. Our political leaders at every level, from city to federal, should heed this warning and move forward with greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Denial is no longer an option — thank you for underscoring that point so eloquently.
Lynsy S.
Oyster Bay
We are changing the climate because we are overloading the air with carbon and this carbon is very effective at trapping heat. There are many lines of evidence that show the human fingerprint of climate change. The evidence is so compelling that virtually every climate expert on the planet agrees humans are now dominating climate change.
We have the technologies now that are needed to put us on the path of reducing our carbon emissions. The military, businesses, and everyday people are already taking action. It is time that we tell our leaders to also take action. There is still time but the window of opportunity is quickly closing. It is urgent that we act now.
Solving the climate change problem offers tremendous economic opportunity and has the benefit of securing our national security and improving our public health.
To those that are still skeptical about human-caused climate change, I am willing to have a cup of coffee with you to tell you why we know humans are responsible. I promise I will be friendly. You have nothing to lose except for some time if you walk away unconvinced.
(The semester ends next week so if I do not return the call please try back in late January.)
Scott A. Mandia
Professor – Physical Sciences, Asst. Chair
T-202 Smithtown Science Bldg.
Suffolk County Community College
533 College Rd.
Selden, NY 11784
mandias@sunysuffolk.edu
631-451-4104
Home Page: http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/
Global Warming Web: http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/global_warming
Global Warming Blog: http://profmandia.wordpress.com
Facebook Group Global Warming Fact of the Day:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=336682515937
Twitter: @AGW_Prof http://twitter.com/AGW_Prof
Climate Science Rapid Response Team: http://www.climaterapidresponse.org
Scientific Guide to Global Warming Skepticism: http://www.skepticalscience.com/docs/Guide_to_Skepticism.pdf
Jane / James / Liam,
This is surely the greatest scam of all time. Every major scientific organization in the world combined with them liberal politicians have concocted some truly sinister plan to make sea levels rise, land and satellite-based temperatures increase, glaciers disappear, and most insidious of all… they have actually figured out a way to convince plant and animal species to begin rapidly shifting their habitat away from the equator and to higher elevations. Who knows what they’ll be up to next… maybe melting the Arctic ice cap during summer months such that large ocean vessels can cross the Northwest Passage for the first time?! I wonder if they’re taking kickbacks from shipping companies. Cheers everybody. :)
Global warming scam….what will it take for these liberal idiots to see that this is nothing more than the redistribution of wealth globally….Kyoto, is FINISHED, Michael Mann and company, LIED….climate gate, remember….If you want to know the real truth listen to John coleman, the weather channel guy…go on you tube and key in his name with global warming….he explains this SCAM invented by Gore other America haters….if it was up to him and the rest of the liberal fools, we would be sitting in the dark and freezing….Al Gore is a hypocrite. And so are many like him….Give it up already, Global warming is DEAD…Remember Jimmy Carter talking about Global Cooling….now it is called climate change….us earthlings are NOT that powerful to change the climate….get a grip fools
Never let a good crisis/scheme pass without making a buck, buy any carbon credits lately? Al Goreleone sure thought up of a good one in his 20000 sq ft home. My carbon footprint can be found on the azz of any Global Warming believer.
AND THE REPUBLINAZIS NEED TO GET THEIR HEADS OUT OF THEIR ASSETS AND TAKE A REALITY BREAK. If it weren’t for the “Allmighty Dollar” they’d have absolutely nothing to live for. Pretty pathetic.
GLOBAL WARMING IS A SCAM. THE EARTH HAS BEEN CHANGING WITH AND WITHOUT HUMANS FOR EONS. GET OVER YOURSELVES LIBERAL NUTS