Baltimore, Maryland—Scientists
have said for years that global warming was “loading the dice” when it comes to
increasing the frequency of severe storms, and a new Environment Maryland
report makes it clear that the South Atlantic Region is already experiencing
extreme downpours much more frequently.
Specifically, the new report found that storms with heavy rainfall are
now 15 percent more frequent in the South Atlantic Region than they were 60
years ago.
“Scientists tell us that the
trend toward more intense precipitation is only beginning,” said Tommy Landers,
Environment Maryland Field Organizer. “If
we continue to release greater amounts of global warming pollution each year,
we can expect a growing number of extreme storms in the future.”
Landers pointed to the
downpour that hit Maryland in June of 2006 as an illustration of what more
extreme rainstorms could mean for the region.
That storm, which brought upwards of 12 inches of water on the area, led
to 3 deaths and over $25 million in property damage.
“More frequent downpours,
fueled by global warming, will leave Maryland even more vulnerable to dangerous
flooding in years to come,” said Landers.
The new Environment Maryland report, When it Rains, It Pours: Global Warming and
the Rising Frequency of Extreme Precipitation in the United States,
examines trends in the frequency of large rain and snow events across the
continental United States from 1948 to 2006.
Using data from 3,000 weather stations and a methodology originally
developed by scientists at the National Climatic Data Center and the Illinois State Water Survey, the report
identifies storms with the greatest 24-hour precipitation totals at each
weather station, and analyzes when those storms occurred.
Nationally, the report shows that
storms with extreme precipitation have increased in frequency by 24 percent
across the continental United States since 1948. At
the state level, 40 states show a significant trend toward more frequent storms
with extreme precipitation, while only one state (Oregon) shows a significant
decline.
These findings are consistent
with the predicted impacts of global warming.
Scientists expect some parts of the United States to receive more precipitation as a result of global
warming, while other parts receive less.
But regardless of the trend in total precipitation, scientists predict
that the rain and snow that does fall will be more likely to come in big
downpours and heavy snowstorms.
Environment Maryland was
joined by Dr. Ben Zaitchik of the University of Maryland at a press event to
release today’s report.
“The findings of this report are troubling, but I find the
existence of the report very encouraging,” said Zaitchik. “The study
looks at some of the most relevant, urgent elements of climate change, and ties
them to the actions we can take as a nation--starting this week.”
The report is careful to note
that an increase in the frequency of extreme rainstorms does not mean more
water will be available. Scientists
expect that, as global warming intensifies, longer periods of relative dryness
will mark the periods between extreme rainstorms, increasing the risk of
drought. For example, the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that, under a scenario of intense
warming, the percent of land enduring severe drought globally could be 30 times
greater by the end of the century than it is today.
“How serious this problem
gets is largely within our control – but only if our country acts boldly to
reduce the pollution that fuels global warming,” said Landers.
According to the most recent
science, the United States must reduce its total global warming emissions by 25
percent by 2020 and by 90 percent by 2050 in order to prevent the worst effects
of global warming.
“While these reductions may
seem challenging, we in fact already have the energy efficiency and renewable
energy technologies we need to get started,” noted Landers.
Tomorrow, the U.S. Senate
Environment & Public Works (EPW) Committee is expected to vote on
amendments to the “Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007” (S. 2191), a global
warming bill introduced by Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Warner (R-VA). While recognizing the important efforts of
the bill’s supporters on this critical issue, Environment Maryland said that
the legislation must be significantly strengthened to address the challenge of
global warming. Specifically, the bill’s
current pollution reduction targets fall short of what the science says is
necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and the bill gives away
far too many subsidies to dirty and dangerous energy sources.
“If we are going to solve the problem of
global warming, this bill must be substantially strengthened,” said Landers. “Environment Maryland urges Senator Cardin to
vote to strengthen the bill to require science-based pollution reduction
targets, and to oppose any attempt to weaken it.”
