If it feels like summer is not only getting hotter, but also longer, it’s not imagination – it’s actually what’s happening. The Washington Post has analyzed American weather data and mapped how the seasons have changed over the past 30 years. Look at this map: it compares the period 1965-1984 with the last 30 years. The redder the area, the longer the summer is there. In some places, summer lasts over three weeks longer than just a few decades ago. This is not data from the Ice Age – this has happened in our lifetime.
Read: Erik ten Hag is left without a job – two poor games into the season!
The examples are striking. Places like Key West in Florida are now experiencing summer 39 days longer than before. Although I pay a lot of attention to global warming, I was not aware of how quickly we change the seasons in our own lifetime. Washington D.C. has nine days longer summer, New York City and Seattle six days. San Francisco has a full 42 days longer summer than 30 years ago. Los Angeles has almost a month longer summer, which many confirm that they notice.
This trend applies all over the United States – both coastal areas, big cities and rural areas. Some places have over a month longer summer than before. Cause? The prolonged summer heat is due to the global temperature rising due to greenhouse gas emissions. This may only surprise those who were born today and know nothing about climate change. Unfortunately, for everyone else, this is an expected reality.
Yet we continue to ignore it. As summers get longer, hotter and wetter, and people literally collapse from the heat, we choose to look away. But we are heading towards a future where this will deteriorate more quickly. Here’s a frightening fact that’s rarely mentioned: The ocean has absorbed about 90% of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases. This has been going on for decades. When the oceans eventually cannot absorb any more heat, warming will accelerate dramatically on land.
We haven’t even experienced this yet, and already now summer is a month longer. Maybe I should look for a mountain resort in Northern Canada to be prepared?
You may notice how the discussion has changed. Do you remember when a senator several years ago brought a snowball into Congress and said, “Look, there’s still snow! What is this about global warming?” They pretend they don’t understand. First it was “there is still snow”, then “isn’t it nice to have a longer summer and more bathing days?” Soon it will be “these hurricanes are strong and the storm worse than ever”. Societies that have never experienced this kind of thing before will be affected. The infrastructure we do not maintain with our tax money is destroyed.
Maybe the best swimmers will survive longer, and then we’ll just move the finish line. Notice that the opponents of climate science have given up the discussion. They are not even in the debate anymore – now they are too busy surviving the mad man in the White House. We don’t have time to think about what we talked about before. At least that discussion is over.
But remember: almost no one will have clicked on this video because it’s about global warming. And many of those who did have probably stopped listening – as it goes with YouTube videos. For the dedicated viewers, I would say: I have complete disbelief in our ability to do anything about this. Our real chance was the election in 2000. Had Al Gore won, perhaps something could have been done. The last three elections gave us a chance to avoid the worst consequences, but we did nothing.
Even in the next election, this should be an assessment. No matter how bad it is, it can always get worse – and I want to avoid that. But no, those who are willing to set fire to the planet for short-term profit have already won. We’re going to suffer – and we’re going to suffer the unvaccinated too, thanks to their other victories.
