Living Through Rising Temperatures and a Record‑Breaking Summer
Today is the start of a heat wave. The temperatures are predicted to reach 110 degrees or higher. These heat waves are definitely happening more frequently. As a kid, I would be hard‑pressed to remember even one day that hit 100 degrees. The hottest year on record so far is 2024. If you doubt that global warming is real, just read the stats. The past 11 years have been the warmest on record, with records dating back to 1881. That means we are heating up, folks. These temperatures will keep rising if we continue to treat our planet as we are now. At this point, I see no trend in the opposite direction.
I know that there are experts on climate change speaking their truths across the globe. I know that sophisticated men and women are listening and showing concern. However, the man on the street, or the native who needs to clear ground to plant crops to feed the family, is not listening and cannot imagine why he should.
If you take the 1950s as a baseline, when I was running around as a kid, and make that 0, today the average temperature has increased to 1.5 times that, which is a huge jump. This increase is also holding steady, indicating it is not a fluke but a trend. The Earth is getting hotter, and we are doing nothing to reverse this trend. Greenhouse gases are forming a layer in the atmosphere that traps heat. Forests are being cut down, causing the “cleansing” of the air to falter. Arctic sea ice is melting, causing sea levels to rise.
Today I am heading to the shore with plans to go sailing. I am not concerned about the breeze. There is almost always a breeze on the Chesapeake. I am concerned about the heat. Sailing is a pleasant, fairly slow mode of transportation. However, you are solidly in the sun unless you take your boat out at night, which is not likely. Even then, the temperature may not drop much.
Of course, you think of sailing as a leisurely skimming across the water. That is true for the passengers, but the sailor is working the entire time, vigilant about the direction of the wind, the depth of the bay, with sandbars as surprises, and cautious about the motorboaters whizzing by. Of course, sailing is pleasant, but it is also work.
Perhaps I will rethink this sail and wait for a cooler day. But, oh wait, the days are getting warmer, not cooler. Perhaps I will take up an indoor hobby. Pottery, anyone?!
Explore related reflections:
climate reflections
environmental change
seasonal experience
Learn more from trusted climate science sources:
NOAA Climate.gov
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
NASA Climate Change
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By Dr. Gloria K Vanderhorst
