It蘑菇视频 time care for our planet and its people
Last week in the Uniontown area, we notched four more days with temperatures of 90 degrees or better bringing our total for the summer to 24 days. In an average or normal season we see 11 days of 90 degrees or higher. It蘑菇视频 been hotter but that was back in the summer of 1988 when we reached the 90 degree mark on 40 occasions including a high for that year of 102. Interesting that in 2000, 2003 and 2004, we had no 90 degree days. In recent years, the whole planet seems to be getting hotter. Alaska had a record winter with temperatures some 13 degrees above normal.
A location in Siberia 100 miles further north than Fairbanks, Alaska experienced a temperature earlier this year of over 100 degrees. The heat out West has been relentless with temperatures this past week of 104 degrees in Spokane, Washington. Las Vegas and Phoenix both hit 115 and far north Boise, Idaho and Helena, Montana had 103. At least here our heat was interrupted a few times by visiting cooler air masses from our friends Canada.
It also looks like a new world record for heat may have been established this week after the temperature hit 130 degrees in Furnace Creek, California. In July, they also recorded 129.2 degrees which was going into the record books as the hottest until this past Sunday蘑菇视频 130 degree reading. There is another record from the same location in 1913 of 131 degrees; however the record is suspect as is the reading from Tunisia, North Africa of 134 degrees. Weather scientists review a lot of data before they put the official label on a reading. Being from the East, it蘑菇视频 hard to imagine these kinds of temperatures since our all-time Uniontown record is 102 degrees and in Pittsburgh, where records go back to the 1860s it is 103.
In addition to the hea, the news continues to involve the weather and COVID-19. The fires in the West resulting from increased heat spawned something new called a firenado which is part of a firestorm that forms from the rising air caused by the fire itself. The pictures are scary and these fire storms also produce lightning, which can strike and cause additional fires to erupt.
Other stories continue talk of rising seas, melting ice and warmer oceans leading to more storms, and our hurricane season is coming into play. Last week, Eco Watch reported on Canada蘑菇视频 last intact ice shelf the size of Manhattan collapsing into the Arctic Sea and the town in Italy threatened by melting from a destabilizing glacier that may come crashing down Mont Blanc forcing resident to evacuate. Coastal cities around the world are beginning to worry as the seas rise and the warnings are turning into realty. The problem we have been talking about is real and they need to take action since it is not going away, and looks to get worse.
COVID 19 and climate change are driving home the fact that we must move from the discussion to action and begin the work to honor and care for our planet and its people. This is our home and it蘑菇视频 all we got. The scientist蘑菇视频 are telling us it蘑菇视频 time. They are doing their job in alerting us to the fact that we cannot continue to pollute, disrupt and destroy Mother Earth the way we have in the past. It蘑菇视频 now up to us to take this seriously and convince our leaders.
Perhaps it蘑菇视频 time to move from denial and discussion to mitigation and adaptation. As we are learning, the consequences of not listening to our scientist蘑菇视频 and health care professionals have been deadly.