Podcast Summary
Understanding Earth's climate through NASA's research: NASA, a leading agency in Earth's climate research, studies prolonged hot weather as a heatwave and faces opposition to its Earth research from corporations like Exxon.
While we may associate the term "heatwave" with the disco group Heatwave from the 1970s, the Goddard Institute for Space Studies at NASA in New York City, which is just up the block from the American Museum of Natural History, specializes in studying climate, including Earth's climate, and NASA spends over $2 billion a year on Earth research. A heatwave is simply a prolonged period of excessively hot weather. However, it's important to note that there have been efforts in the past to prevent NASA from studying Earth, with Exxon being one of the forces behind it. Despite this, NASA continues to be a leading agency in understanding Earth's climate and its place in the universe.
Extreme Heat Waves and Their Consequences: Heat waves, defined by extreme temperatures, can lead to severe consequences including infrastructure damage and disruption to daily life, as seen in Europe's unprecedented heatwave in mid-2022, where temperatures reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit, causing runways to melt and flight cancellations.
Heat waves, defined as a series of days with temperatures above a certain threshold, can have severe consequences due to the difference between the actual temperature and what a region is accustomed to. Heat waves are locally defined and can lead to extreme events, as seen in the unprecedented heat in Europe during mid-July 2022, where temperatures reached 105 degrees Fahrenheit in the UK, a country not known for extreme heat. This situation was particularly challenging because most homes and public spaces, including the subway system, lacked air conditioning. The UK's location farther north than Maine adds to the surprise and impact of such extreme temperatures. The difference between expected and actual temperatures can wreak havoc on infrastructure and civilization, as seen in the UK, where runways melted, leading to flight cancellations. Overall, heat waves are an important indicator of extreme events associated with climate change and highlight the need for adaptation and preparation.
Extreme heatwaves caused by climate change: Climate change is causing more frequent and intense heatwaves, leading to infrastructure issues and the need for adaptation
Extreme heatwaves are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change, leading to infrastructure issues like buckling train rails. The reason for this is that the Earth's temperature has risen by approximately 2 degrees Fahrenheit in the last century, causing more frequent exceedances of 90 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, weather systems seem to be "parking" and staying in one place longer, leading to prolonged heatwaves. This phenomenon may be related to atmospheric waves in the jet stream, which can create standing waves when they intersect with the jet stream's flow. These standing waves can cause weather patterns to persist, leading to prolonged periods of extreme weather. The implications of this are significant, as infrastructure and transportation systems are not designed to withstand such extreme conditions for extended periods. It is crucial that we take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt our infrastructure to these new realities.
Extreme weather events can occur anywhere, not just in regions with more climate variability: Recognizing the potential for extreme weather events anywhere can help us better understand and prepare for the impacts of climate change
While some regions, like Europe, may experience more summer variability and extreme weather events due to climate change, other regions, particularly those in the tropics, have more stable climates. However, even in stable climates, extreme weather events like heat waves can still occur and lead to dangerous situations, such as increased risk of wildfires. These events may not receive the same level of global attention as those in more populated or politically significant areas, but their impact can be significant and far-reaching. For example, heat waves in India, Pakistan, South Asia, China, Australia, and South Africa have led to devastating wildfires and other consequences. Ultimately, it's important to recognize that extreme weather events can happen anywhere and that paying attention to them, regardless of location, can help us better understand and prepare for the impacts of climate change.
Uneven global warming affects temperature increases in different regions: Arctic regions experience up to 4x greater temperature rises than the global average, making it essential to provide region-specific temperature increase figures to help people grasp the severity of climate change.
The global average temperature increase of 2 degrees Fahrenheit does not directly translate to the same temperature increase in all locations on Earth. Instead, certain regions, like the Arctic, experience much greater temperature rises, sometimes up to four times the global average. This uneven warming can make it difficult for people to grasp the significance of temperature changes when presented as global averages. As a scientist, Gavin acknowledged this challenge and suggested providing more relatable temperature increase figures for specific regions to help people understand the severity of climate change.
Significant Climate Shifts in Earth's History: Small climate shifts have profound impacts on the Earth, such as melting ice caps and altering ecosystems, and we're currently experiencing a significant warming trend that could potentially lead to a cooling period.
The Earth's climate has undergone significant changes throughout its history, and the temperature shifts we're experiencing now, although seemingly small, have profound impacts on the planet. For instance, around 20,000 years ago, we were in the middle of an ice age, with areas like New York City being covered by hundreds of meters of ice. The global temperature change between then and now was approximately 8-9 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considered one "ice age unit." Since the industrial revolution, we've experienced about a quarter to a fifth of an ice age unit's worth of warming. However, we could be heading for a whole ice age unit's worth of cooling. Although these numbers may seem small to us, they are not insignificant to the Earth. Extreme temperatures have the most significant impact on ecosystems, ice caps, and overall climate patterns. Therefore, even small changes can lead to significant consequences.
Impact of extreme heat on infrastructure and human health: Extreme heat causes thousands of excess deaths, mostly among the elderly and young children, making it the deadliest weather event in the US, surpassing all others combined. Planning for potential consequences is crucial for both infrastructure and health.
Extreme weather events, particularly heat waves, have a significant impact on infrastructure and human health, even if we don't always notice it in our day-to-day lives. While the cost of addressing infrastructure issues may seem abstract to some, the personal cost of extreme heat becomes apparent when we consider the potential for thousands of excess deaths, particularly among the elderly and young children. Heat-related events are actually the deadliest weather events in the United States, surpassing all other weather-related fatalities combined. As we continue to experience more frequent and intense heat waves, it's crucial that we acknowledge and plan for the potential consequences, both for our infrastructure and our health.
Strive to be doers, not just talkers: Keep looking up, stay curious, informed, and committed to making a difference in the world
Actions speak louder than words. Neil DeGrasse Tyson, the renowned astrophysicist, emphasizes the importance of not just talking about making a difference, but actually doing it. He encourages everyone to keep striving for knowledge and inspiration, and to lead by example. As Tyson himself puts it, "Keep looking up." This means staying curious, staying informed, and staying committed to making the world a better place. It's easy to talk about making a difference, but it takes real effort and dedication to actually make it happen. So, let's all strive to be doers, not just talkers, and keep looking up to the stars and beyond for inspiration and motivation.