WP: Extreme Climate Change has Arrived in America

[SpitztheGreat]

Today the Washington Post published a great article on the Climate Change and how it's effects can already be felt.

2 Degrees Beyond the Limit: extreme climate change has arrived in America

As most of us here are aware, Climate Change is not an issue for the future it's an issue for RIGHT NOW.

Key findings:

• Climate change is here but it's impacts are uneven, most of the country has warmed since 1895, but "hot spots" of areas that have seen a 2+ degree Celsius dot the country
• These hot spots are concentrated in the Northeast, Rockies, and West Coast
• Places like New Jersey and Rhode Island are warming the fastest of the lower 48, winters are getting warmer and shorter
• Beaches in Rhode Island are losing up to 3 feet to erosion every year, sometimes more
• The warming temperatures in the Rockies are going to have repercussions on snow pack/melt and thus freshwater supplies for California and Arizona

There's more at the link and I highly recommend that you all read it. While it isn't a heavy hitting article, a lot of research went into it and it's the kind of reporting that we need right now.

My wife and I have been having discussions lately about what we can do to carry our weight. I think I'm going to have to pull the trigger and do the unthinkable: drastically cut down on my meat consumption.

 

[BWoog]

JPEG of politician holding snow ball.

 

[fluffydelusions]

How exactly is it NJ and RI warming the fastest? Why just those 2 in particular?

 

[Sulik2]

Meat consumption and planting trees are the only two things that we can make a difference doing as individual people en mass. The rest needs to come from government regulation changing industry and power generation.

 

[Weiss]

I wonder if affecting America will motivate any change.

Nah all the rich fuckers will just move somewhere nicer.

 

[mugurumakensei]

How exactly is it NJ and RI warming the fastest? Why just those 2 in particular?

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Chris Christie's farts probably.

 

[fluffydelusions]

The rest needs to come from government regulation changing industry and power generation.

Click to shrink...

Well you know we are screwed on that end under this administration.

 

[rjinaz]

Yeah I really feel like I need to move out of Phoenix within the next 10 years. Droughts in the desert are all but inevitable really.

 

[Saucycarpdog]

Meat consumption and planting trees are the only two things that we can make a difference doing as individual people en mass. The rest needs to come from government regulation changing industry and power generation.

Click to shrink...

I actually wish one of the democratic candidates would propose a massive tree planting program like India and other countries have done.

 

[BADMAN]

If your local politician doesn't support the Green New Deal then call their office and demand it. Also look for primary challengers who will.

 

[shnurgleton]

How exactly is it NJ and RI warming the fastest? Why just those 2 in particular?

Click to shrink...

Chris Christie's farts probably.

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saugy dogs also cause inordinate gas

 

[Deleted member 39374]

Instead of the usual "welp" "we deserve it" "can't wait" "snowball.gif" "this is fine.jpeg" defeatist ERA nihilism, here's what you can do locally on a micro level that can scale up through your community and make a difference:

-cut red meat consumption (this is healthier as well), or even go vegan
-reduce consumption of processed foods and meats
-recycle and reuse more, try to eliminate petroleum based products or anything that's one-time use
-drive electric/plug-in hybrid or take public transport if possible
-don't fly on jet airliners unless necessary
-go solar, sell your excess kwh back to the grid or go off the grid
-buy used or refurbished gadgets and devices instead of new ones
-go paperless for all your accounting or office work
-lobby your local representatives, get active in Sierra Club or other organizations

 

[Cation]

It's gonna take enough climate change to cause another Great Depression for any fucking politician to make a change

 

[yumms]

Last winter in North NJ was over 6 months! There seems be an opposite effect here.

 

[bye]

Yeah I really feel like I need to move out of Phoenix within the next 10 years. Droughts in the desert are all but inevitable really.

Click to shrink...

Yep, this place will be uninhabitable after 20 years give or take. There's no fix for running out of water here.

 

[Deleted member 17092]

I predict there will be a water pipeline from lake Superior to the southwest within my lifetime.

Instead of addressing the root causes of the issue we will slap Band-Aids on the symptoms.

 

[SpitztheGreat]

How exactly is it NJ and RI warming the fastest? Why just those 2 in particular?

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It's unclear. Scientist think that it may be related to melting glacier ice slowing down the Gulf Stream. This redirects the Gulf Stream closer to shore and prevents warm water from advancing to Europe, so it's a twofer.

 

[maxxpower]

California is so fucked. When are we supposed to break off and become an island near Alaska?

 

[Teh_Lurv]

As soon as climate change starts impacting the mansions of Newport, RI we'll see real action by the rich and powerful

Spoiler

to airlift their mansions to higher ground

 

[SuperBonk]

As someone from South NJ, it does feel like this summer has been particularly hot. But what's more noticeable is the amount of thunderstorms we've been getting lately.

 

[SpitztheGreat]

I predict there will be a water pipeline from lake Superior to the southwest within my lifetime.

Instead of addressing the root causes of the issue we will slap Band-Aids on the symptoms.

Click to shrink...

This would be a massive fight. Not only do the Great Lakes states have a (untested) policy of excluding water from areas outside the watershed, but you also have Canada to deal with. Hopefully the Great Lakes can remain somewhat protected because they're already fragile enough.

 

[Astronut325]

Meat consumption and planting trees are the only two things that we can make a difference doing as individual people en mass. The rest needs to come from government regulation changing industry and power generation.

Click to shrink...

Uh..
Drive less
Take fewer airplane trips
Use No Rush shipping from Amazon
Use recycled stuff
Consume less stuff overall

There is a lot of things individuals can do but choose not to.

 

[Charismagik]

I have a pasture where I'm wanting to build a tiny-ish house. I want to plant a bunch of trees there and maybe do solar. Shit is so expensive, though =/

 

[Figgles]

This would be a massive fight. Not only do the Great Lakes states have a (untested) policy of excluding water from areas outside the watershed, but you also have Canada to deal with. Hopefully the Great Lakes can remain somewhat protected because they're already fragile enough.

Click to shrink...

When things get desperate enough that this has to happen, there won't be much Canada can do to stop it. They might write an angry letter, but that's about it.

 

[Hollywood Duo]

There was a tornado here last week so yeah

 

[NateDrake]

Think it is time for me to leave Rhode Island before we actually become a damn island.

 

[Deleted member 4532]

I just went outside and felt the heat. The perfect swimming weather! Climate change is a hoax!
/s

 

[Magic-Man]

I hate to be "that guy" but I just don't think there's any way around this. Most people won't change. The culture surrounding us is too much. The best that we can hope for is that we find a way to adapt and move on.

Also, why is meat consumption a bad thing? I don't get it.

 

[Hiphopopotamus]

As a Floriduh homeowner, I'm like, "Yup, we fucked up". But then I have a kid so I don't get to be apathetic about this shit

 

[SpitztheGreat]

When things get desperate enough that this has to happen, there won't be much Canada can do to stop it. They might write an angry letter, but that's about it.

Click to shrink...

By the time things get that desperate it will already be 10 years too late. If a pipeline were going to get built in time to stave off the coming water crunch in the South West, it would need to be going through the legal hoops right now so that it could start construction in five years. By the time the SW understands just fucked they are, the snowpacks in the Rockies will be a thing of the past. At that point there won't be any possibility for a pipeline for a decade or so, and that means that people will just start to migrate out of the SW. So hopefully the problem takes care of itself.

However, before the SW can get the water the midwest is going to need it and that will take priority. Take a look at this map here, it shows water aqueduct stress levels through 2040. You can see that the midwest is forecast to be in dire straights, and we'll need that food more than we'll need homes in the desert. If the USA is going to murder the Great Lakes it will be over food from the Midwest rather than homes in the desert.

 

[Rei no Otaku]

I live in RI and our winters are definitely way milder than they used to be.

 

[Hiphopopotamus]

Also, why is meat consumption a bad thing? I don't get it.

Click to shrink...

Massive inputs of water, land and oil goes into producing fertilizers for animal feed, water to produce food and land to raise them on. Plus food animals produce greenhouse gasses, like cows and methane from their digestion process

 

[Brass Body Dave]

Instead of the usual "welp" "we deserve it" "can't wait" "snowball.gif" "this is fine.jpeg" defeatist ERA nihilism, here's what you can do locally on a micro level that can scale up through your community and make a difference:

-cut red meat consumption (this is healthier as well), or even go vegan
-reduce consumption of processed foods and meats
-recycle and reuse more, try to eliminate petroleum based products or anything that's one-time use
-drive electric/plug-in hybrid or take public transport if possible
-don't fly on jet airliners unless necessary
-go solar, sell your excess kwh back to the grid or go off the grid
-buy used or refurbished gadgets and devices instead of new ones
-go paperless for all your accounting or office work
-lobby your local representatives, get active in Sierra Club or other organizations

Click to shrink...

Good post, everyone should do what they can

 

[evrythngwastakn]

I hate to be "that guy" but I just don't think there's any way around this. Most people won't change. The culture surrounding us is too much. The best that we can hope for is that we find a way to adapt and move on.

Also, why is meat consumption a bad thing? I don't get it.

Click to shrink...

Cows take a lot of land to raise. So does their food. Their methane farts are super bad because there's so many.

 

[Hey Please]

Relevant as ever:

 

[Wraith]

 

[J-Wood]

I'm curious on the water impact in regards to the Rockies. I only say that because this winter/spring and even into this summer we've had so much rain that all of our reservoirs are like 500% of normal levels.

 

[mreddie]

And Trump won't care. He's in his air conditioned office and will likely retire in his air conditioned loft while the whole world is mined to doom, animals die and sea waters rise.

 

[SpitztheGreat]

Also, why is meat consumption a bad thing? I don't get it.

Click to shrink...

The process of raising beef for consumption is extremely resource intensive. Most people in America eat meat at least once a day, if not more, and that contributes to a litany of environmental issues.

For a couple of articles:

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...t-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown

https://www.climatecentral.org/news/studies-link-red-meat-and-climate-change-20264

Once you stop to think about it, it seems pretty obvious. I resisted it for years, but the facts are the facts, world-wide we are eating too much meat and it's killing the environment and contributing towards Climate Change.

 

[Dennis8K]

Click to shrink...

Just what Nevada and Arizona needs. More heat.

 

[Username1198]

Yea but muh profits!

Edit you know what that's not funny. My nephews and nieces are gonna have to deal with our shortcomings and failure.

Go to hell alll climate deniers. Fuck you

 

[Magic-Man]

And Trump won't care. He's in his air conditioned office and will likely retire in his air conditioned loft while the whole world is mined to doom, animals die and sea waters rise.

Click to shrink...

Can we not make this all about Trump please? I hate him as much as everyone else, but this isn't all his fault. It's everybody's. Either we change together or we die together. That's how I see it.

The process of raising beef for consumption is extremely resource intensive. Most people in America eat meat at least once a day, if not more, and that contributes to a litany of environmental issues.

For a couple of articles:

https://www.theguardian.com/environ...t-eating-essential-to-avoid-climate-breakdown

https://www.climatecentral.org/news/studies-link-red-meat-and-climate-change-20264

Once you stop to think about it, it seems pretty obvious. I resisted it for years, but the facts are the facts, world-wide we are eating too much meat and it's killing the environment and contributing towards Climate Change.

Click to shrink...

Well shit. Nothing is going to change on that front, so we're fucked.

 

[Hiphopopotamus]

I'm curious on the water impact in regards to the Rockies. I only say that because this winter/spring and even into this summer we've had so much rain that all of our reservoirs are like 500% of normal levels.

Click to shrink...

More heat in the atmosphere causes more rain, but that's not spread evenly across affected areas. The outliers are the problem. We expect more extremes, so more rain in areas that haven't evolved to soak up the amounts, and deeper droughts. The droughts will bake and harden soil so when rains do come the ground will soak up even less, which will exacerbate flash-flooding. It's a mean cycle

 

[mreddie]

Can we not make this all about Trump please? I hate him as much as everyone else, but this isn't all his fault. It's everybody's. Either we change together or we die together. That's how I see it.

Click to shrink...

Yeah but I think him and his ilk are just fast forwarding this shit. Hell, the country ignored this for decades and no one saw how fucked things got until now and we're on the edge now.

 

[SpitztheGreat]

I'm curious on the water impact in regards to the Rockies. I only say that because this winter/spring and even into this summer we've had so much rain that all of our reservoirs are like 500% of normal levels.

Click to shrink...

This year was really good for water levels across the country. The snowpack in the Rockies was excellent, and the ice/water levels of the great lakes reversed a 30-year trend in declines.

But the key word here is "trends". The trends are undeniable that snowpacks in the Rockies are getting thinner and less consistent year-to-year at the same time that demands on water systems are increasing. While it was great that the Rockies did so well this year, over the last 20 years they haven't been doing well. The same for the Great Lakes, water levels have been declining for 20-30 years in most/all of the lakes, and this corresponds with declines in ice coverage in the winters. As the climate has warmed there is less ice on the lakes, and less ice means less reflection of the sun in winter months, this results in more evaporation.

As I posted earlier, this map shows the forecast for stress on our water aqueducts through 2040. It isn't good.

 

[Deleted member 135]

I actually wish one of the democratic candidates would propose a massive tree planting program like India and other countries have done.

Click to shrink...

We did ours decades ago.

The US was heavily deforested at the turn of the last century. After the Dust Bowl part of the CCC/WPA was a massive tree planting program and strict forestry regulations. There is not a lot of places to do massive planting drives left in the US.

 

[SpitztheGreat]

Well shit. Nothing is going to change on that front, so we're fucked.

Click to shrink...

Literally this may be one of the easier things for individuals to do. It doesn't mean you need to go vegetarian, but if you stop to think about it we could all probably go with a little less meat in our diets.

 

[Bladelaw]

Instead of the usual "welp" "we deserve it" "can't wait" "snowball.gif" "this is fine.jpeg" defeatist ERA nihilism, here's what you can do locally on a micro level that can scale up through your community and make a difference:

-cut red meat consumption (this is healthier as well), or even go vegan
-reduce consumption of processed foods and meats
-recycle and reuse more, try to eliminate petroleum based products or anything that's one-time use
-drive electric/plug-in hybrid or take public transport if possible
-don't fly on jet airliners unless necessary
-go solar, sell your excess kwh back to the grid or go off the grid
-buy used or refurbished gadgets and devices instead of new ones
-go paperless for all your accounting or office work
-lobby your local representatives, get active in Sierra Club or other organizations

Click to shrink...

This is a good list. I imagine anyone could manage 3-4 of these.
Bolded the easy wins. It's going to take a lot more than that but at least you won't be making things worse by doing the above.

 

[Magic-Man]

Literally this may be one of the easier things for individuals to do. It doesn't mean you need to go vegetarian, but if you stop to think about it we could all probably go with a little less meat in our diets.

Click to shrink...

I know. I would become a vegetarian if I could (I'm not giving up cheese and milk though) but it's not possible right now. But people won't change, we have a culture where we think that everything is fine and we can do whatever we want, and that's a problem.

And something that makes this even worse is that there's nowhere to escape to. There's no habitable planets around us. We don't even have an "Oasis" (the virtual reality universe from Ready Player One). This is the world I'm growing up in and I hate it.

 

[Culex]

The fact that I as a Connecticut resident have to worry about hurricanes now is a wake up call.