By Sarah Kirsh
In North Carolina recently we’ve been having beautiful and warm days. Although 70-degree weather in late February or early March is mentally freeing, these drastic changes may be a bad sign. Climate change has been changing the weather patterns around the United States and beyond. In Texas, we saw a huge snowstorm decimate the “snowless” state a few weeks ago. While local and state authorities were unprepared for such unusual weather conditions, they won't be the only ones. Climate change toys with several normal weather processes such as snowstorms, hurricanes, floods, and more. While warmer days are not damaging to health, flooding, rainstorms, or hurricanes might be.
Research has shown that climate change increases the intensity of storms including hurricanes. One way this occurs is through the global warming part of climate change. As the sea surface temperatures warm, regular tropical wind speeds are increased. Moreover, warmer winds and temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more precipitation. This leads to wetter hurricanes with a higher potential for flooding. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found with an increase of global temperatures came an increase in Category 4 or 5 hurricanes and an “increase of wind speeds up to 10%.” At the same time, hurricanes are predicted to increase in precipitation by 10 to 15 percent. The second connection between climate change and irregular storms is rising sea levels. As many UNC students have been taught in chemistry, as temperature increases, the space between molecules increases. In this case, as the temperature of water increases, it expands and rises in level. A higher sea level can contribute to more intense and damaging hurricanes and storms because there is more water inland. Since 1970, the average global sea level has risen by approximately 4 inches. In this century the average global sea level is expected to rise between 1 and 4 feet depending on greenhouse gas emissions. Apart from storms, rising sea levels create a large problem for North Carolina on the coast with land erosion.
Climate change can negatively impact coastal areas through more intense storms and rising sea levels. While this has certain environmental damages, there are health damages as well. In the midst of pandemic access to healthcare in an emergency is beyond crucial. In the presence of a huge storm, access to healthcare or a local hospital is significantly decreased and limited. Such consequences were evident in the recent Texas storm. Thus, we all have an obligation to combat climate change not just on an environmental premise, but on a health outcomes premise as well. To save ourselves we must save our planet first.
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