Baltimore, Maryland—The
average temperature in Baltimore was
3.0°F above average in 2006, according to a new report released today by
Environment Maryland. Environment Maryland
said this warmer-than-normal weather is indicative of what Maryland
can expect with continued global warming.
“Throw out the record books, because global warming is
raising temperatures in Maryland
and across the country,” said Environment Maryland Field Organizer Desirae
Vasquez. “The long-term forecast is for
more of the same unless we quickly and significantly reduce global warming
pollution from power plants and passenger vehicles.”
According to the National
Climatic Data Center,
the 2006 summer and 2006 overall were the second warmest on record for the lower
48 states. 2007 is on track to be the
second warmest year on record globally.
“I am increasingly
concerned with the evidence that global climate change is affecting human
health,” said Brenda Afzal of the University of Maryland School of Nursing. “The challenge of mounting an effective
public health response to destructive weather events is daunting. We need solutions now.”
To examine recent temperature patterns in the United
States, Environment Maryland compared
temperature data for the years 2000-2006 from 255 weather stations located in
all 50 states and Washington, DC
with temperatures averaged over the 30 years spanning 1971-2000, or what
scientists call the “normal” temperature.
Key findings include:
• In 2006, the average temperature was 3.0°F above
normal in Baltimore. Nationally, the average 2006 temperature was
at least 0.5°F above normal at 87% of the locations studied.
• In 2006, Baltimore
experienced average maximum temperatures — the highest temperatures recorded on
a given day — of 2.5°F above normal. During the summer, average maximum
temperatures were also 2.5°F above normal.
• Over the course of 2006, Baltimore
experienced 39 days where the temperature hit at least 90°F, 9 days more than the
historical average. Heat waves have
serious implications for human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion,
and even death.
• Baltimore
experienced average minimum temperatures — the lowest temperatures recorded on
a given day, usually at night — of 2.9°F above normal in 2006 and 3.2°F above normal
during the 2006 summer. Warmer nighttime
temperatures exacerbate the public health effects of heat waves, since people
need cooler nighttime temperatures to recover from excessive heat exposure
during the day.
• Baltimore’s
above-average temperatures in 2006 are part of a broader warming trend since
2000. Between 2000 and 2006, the average
temperature was 1.2°F above the 30-year average in Baltimore.
“Human activities are acting to warm the planet, and
if we continue to act as though we were ignorant of the causes of this warming,
the consequences will be grave,” said Dr. Daniel Kirk-Davidoff of the
Department of Atmospheric Science at the University of Maryland, College Park.
In April 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate
Change found that North America could experience
significant water stress, forest fires, and “an increased number, intensity,
and duration of heat waves” as temperatures continue to rise.
“Maryland
must act quickly to enact legislation that reduces the state’s greenhouse gas
emissions,” said Del. Dana Stein (Baltimore
County). “We also should support federal legislation
that would create national standards for reductions in global warming
pollutants, he added.”
To avoid the worst consequences of global warming, the United
States must halt increases in global warming
emissions now, cut emissions by at least 15-20% by 2020, and slash emissions by
at least 80% by 2050.
“The science behind global warming is clear – we are running
out of time,” said Claire Douglass of Chesapeake Climate Action Network. “Our actions on reducing global warming
pollution must reflect the science and the seriousness of our situation.”
The United States
could substantially reduce its global warming pollution by using existing
technologies to make power plants, businesses, homes, and cars more efficient
and generate more electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind and
solar power.
Congress is poised to consider global warming legislation
this fall. The Safe Climate Act in the U.S.
House and the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act in the U.S. Senate are the
only bills that would reduce pollution to levels that scientists say are needed
to prevent the worst effects of global warming.
Environment Maryland
and partner organizations are also calling on Gov. O’Malley to support binding
commitments to science-based reductions in global warming pollution for the
State of Maryland.
