Global Warming Continues to Threaten Regional Livelihoods

With soaring surface temperatures and new record highs recorded every year for the past 50 years, global warming continues to be one of the biggest threats to various regions around the world. Arizona in particular just recorded the hottest summer in the state’s history, unfortunately coinciding with an increase in heat related deaths across the state. Continued effects from the result of ongoing warming trends in regional environments could pose additional challenges for individuals in the future. 

Record high temperatures can affect the body in a variety of different ways, and create unstable biological conditions that can lead to death. The high surface temperatures also pose threats to infrastructure, technology, and vital installations in urban metropolitan areas. Negative associated effects of heat exposure can be exacerbated when necessary resources are compromised in heat wave events. Officials are still tallying the number of deaths that resulted from the record temperatures in Arizona this year, and many scientists are looking to the future, concerned about new associated risks. 

Record High Summer Temperatures

This summer proved to be a record breaking year for surface temperatures across many regions in the United States, and specifically in Arizona. Record keeping for temperatures began in the state in 1895, and this year experienced three of the highest recorded months on record.

Daily average temperatures this summer holdfast at 97 degrees Fahrenheit which surpassed the three year previous record of 96.7 degrees Fahrenheit. Phoenix also set a record for a 31 day streak of temperatures at or exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat waves like that seen in Phoenix are beginning to happen more frequently as the climate in the region becomes dryer and overall global temperature averages continue to rise. Officials began recording associated deaths in 2005 to identify where policy changes could be applied to lessen the impacts of heat related casualties. They have added several categories to discern the deaths and provide a well rounded investigation into their route cause and resolution.

Heat Related Death Information

• Sex

• Age

• Race

• Ethnicity

• Location 

• Indoors vs Outdoors

• Air Conditioner present?

• Working or not working

• Electricity present?

Collecting vital information like these statistics is vital for researchers when discerning associative risk factors in severe weather events like those of this summer. These electricity statistics are important because findings have influenced power companies to maintain vital electricity powering air conditioners running during heat waves, even if clients have not paid their bills. 

Many of the deaths recorded in previous years happened due to a lapse in power, leaving the affected individuals inside their homes without a working air conditioner. Having the means to cool off is vital during extended periods of record high temperatures, especially when outside averages exceed into the triple digits. 

Counting Heath Related Deaths

Counting and recorded heat related casualties can take an extended amount of time for officials because there are many factors involved in the investigations. There are investigations into the individual's past and present related health conditions, environmental hazards, toxicology reports, autopsies, weather forecasts, and resource assessments. Mariposa county investigates heat deaths including those caused by excessive temperatures, heat stroke, and heart attacks as the result of environmental stress. 

This year's records observed almost 75 percent of the total recorded deaths to have occurred outside exposed to the elements. Almost half of those deaths were homeless people who did not have access to air conditioning, water, or other vital resources. There are an estimated 10,000 people in Mariposa county without access to a home, so the numbers could be potentially much higher if severe conditions persisted even longer. 

Less than 100 of the recorded deaths so far happened indoors in Arizona. Most of these recorded deaths occurred in homes where the in unit air conditioners were turned off or disabled. 

Future of Heat Related Deaths

As global warming continues to impact the world, many regions are experiencing rapid environmental changes. While some regions are experiencing extended winters, rain, and moisture other regions like the southwestern United States have observed quite the opposite. Southern Arizona has just experienced its hottest recorded summer with an extended period of time exceeding triple digit temperatures. These conditions are not atypical for the desert region, however their extended durations and excessively high temperatures are a direct result of the effects of climate change. 

In the future regions like this will continue to see extended periods of extreme temperatures and the cities need to establish enough access to vital resources to prevent increases in heat related deaths. This summer already showed a dramatic increase compared to past years, and hopefully it will lead to improvements in policies controlling the distribution of access to life saving resources like air conditioning, water, and shelter. 

Blazing Temperatures Boil Florida

Relentless high temperatures across the southern United States have sent several coastal regions of Florida to boiling temperatures. Major ocean areas around the peninsula recently reached shockingly high temperatures of 96 degrees Fahrenheit. The extraordinarily high temperatures are completely atypical preceding many negative consequences for the nearshore wildlife, resource sustainability, and habitat stability of the region. 

Global warming is a major component of high temperature contributions, in addition to the settling of a warm weather dome across much of the United States this past month. The bath-like coastal waters are setting record breaking temperatures and may be foreshadowing of many similar events in the future, expected to impact the region. 

Florida Reaches Record Temperatures

The high 90 degree recorded water temperatures are more than 15 degrees above the average conditions for the coastal region. Water is an incredibly stable fluid element, only changing temperatures under extreme fluctuation pressures. The heat dome that settled around Florida caused the immense heat conditions that forced the nearshore water temperature to near 100 degrees. While the high water temperatures are only a temporary effect of the peculiar weather phenomena, the lasting effects could be devastating. 

Florida hosts an incredible array of nearshore wildlife, habitats, and resources that may all suffer from the high temperatures. The coral reefs in Florida are already incredibly fragile after many past bleaching events have left them exposed to continued damages. Loss of coral species is sometimes irreversible as they are slow growing organisms that rely on specific water temperature and salinity conditions. Coral reefs support all of the other ecosystems in the ocean by providing stable strata, habitats, and resources for reef fish and microorganisms. With the current temperature conditions and future projections, it is likely to result in significant loss of the already sparse reef. 

When temperatures increase past the threshold tolerable by corals, they succumb to the environment in what is known as a bleaching event. These events leave the bleached, white remains of the coral skeletons devoid of life. Fish and other previous inhabitants are forced away from the reef, bringing all of the upper ecosystems with them. Resulting habitat loss greatly deteriorated many of the fisheries relied upon by Floridians and the rest of the country. Only time will tell what the complete scope of loss will entail from this severe temperature event. 

The high temperature trends are expected to continue into late August and unfortunately coincide with the area’s hurricane season. This is another factor many meteorologists are keeping an eye on as warmer sea surface temperatures can exacerbate and accelerate cyclonic storms. The Gulf of Mexico and bordering states are prone to severe weather events that pass through the area, and these past month’s conditions are expected to continue that trend.  

Human Fueled Climate Change

Severe events like the localized warming observed in Florida have become more common over the last 75 years as human induced climate changes are beginning to affect major weather stability. With the onset of rapid industrialization of most of the world there have been significant increases in greenhouse gas emissions. These greenhouse gasses pollute the atmosphere and increase the carbon dioxide concentration in the upper atmosphere. Carbon dioxide traps heat which is reflected and reabsorbed by the surface of the Earth and especially the oceans. 

With increased heat trapping greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere, human activities are further accelerating global warming and events similar to this past month in Florida. Other effects caused by the localized global warming events may include more intense tropical storms driven by the high temperatures of the surface seawater in the Caribbean. These environmental fluctuations are likely to continue in frequency and intensity as global warming trends have not been abated and surface temperatures continue to rise.

Other regions of the United States are also experiencing the effects in the form of flooding, heat waves, wildfires, and other associated high temperatures. Global warming does not only affect the coastlines, beaches, and nearshore waters as it has implications for the entire topography of the world. 

Solutions to the Temperature Rise

As events like the extraordinary temperature conditions of the southeastern United States continue to happen, scientists and environmentalists continue to search for solutions. Most of the ideas being studied are for better understanding at the remedy of such events, as the cause is most often associated with the unfortunate byproducts of modern human activities. 

Remedies for heat events like that observed in Florida are focusing on coral retainment and recovery efforts, although concerns suggest there could be a mass fatality event of more than 90% of the living species in southern Florida. There is already an ongoing coral recovery program in southern Florida experimenting with coral plantation, genetic modification, and reef restoration projects. Many of these projects have been underway for more than 5 years and had seen phenomenal successes up until this event. Most coral restoration projects were focused on developing artificial reefs for corals to attach to, which would establish corals in barren areas and provide better natural barriers to incoming storm surge. 

All of these solutions are futile in environmental heat stress, because of the fragility of the coral species and their environmental relationship. It does not matter how many corals are planted, or reefs restored, if the ocean temperatures do not return to normal levels. The other striking outcome from continued events like this are naturally selecting out most of the nearshore coral species that are more sensitive to changes, and leaving those that dwell in deeper waters. 

California in the Dark Amidst Environmental Regulations

Californians are sweating, and in the dark as sweeping new environmental regulations, healthcare, and climate change contribute to rolling blackouts across the state. California is home to the world’s fifth-largest economy, boasting a GDP of more than 3.4 trillion USD. The state is occupied by more than 39 million people and accommodates more than 213 million people annually. 

This state has had its fair share of financial difficulties accommodating such large population sizes as global climate change continues to increase environmental pressures on the region’s resource accessibility. Many of California’s largest cities have suffered ongoing climate changes that have reduced accessible water, energy, and moderate temperatures. The majority of California’s resources are delegated to the densely populated lower two-thirds of the state, where problems were initially acknowledged more than 100 years ago when people started mass settling in the early 1900s. 

Sweeping environmental and renewable energy reforms over the last decade have put the state in a place where it can supply most of its energy needs with solar power during the day. However, the energy storage from the solar sources is insufficient to supply the large demographic at night and in the summer, leading to rolling blackouts and intermittent periods of energy shortages. These unfortunate events often happen during the summer when extremely high temperatures in the state's southern portion exacerbate high energy usage, often fueling high taxing air conditioning units in both the private and public sectors. 

The lack of adequate energy resources and continued climate change increasing environmental pressures on the region have forced lawmakers like California governor Gavin Newsom to sign bills facilitating the implementation of fossil fuel subsidies. The fossil fuel legislation contradicts many of the environmental principles California is slowly shifting toward as they move toward a green economy. The governor argues that the state’s use of fossil fuels is necessary and unavoidable as the current renewable sources do not have the facilities to accommodate the state’s needs effectively. He told reporters that these fossil fuel bills are simply buying time for the state’s residents until additional renewable storage facilities can be produced.

Proponents on the fossil fuel side of the debate argue that the governor’s new legislation proves the state needs to utilize already established oil and gas industries instead of completely switching prematurely to renewables before the industry is fully developed. Energy shortages can be extremely detrimental and even deadly, especially with summer temperatures often exceeding more than 86 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Environmental groups have also criticized the state’s decisions explaining there would have been adequate renewable storage facilities available in the state had moved faster to establish the industry amidst earlier concerns and initial environmental legislation. Many environmentalists also argue the new bills lack clearly observed limits to prevent fossil fuel expansion across the state, and reduced regulations on industry leader’s development protocols can significantly impact local environments. 

Building an electrical infrastructure will be an environmentally safe and effective method for reducing fossil fuel use. California is among the first states to lead the movement and the system’s complex logistical problems. There are many sides to the debate, but the current industry is not supplying enough energy for California residents and businesses. 

Will Global Warming Cause Another Pandemic?

Amidst the already ongoing pandemic, new fears amount of increasing susceptibility toward ancient bacterias previously frozen in rapidly melting ice sheets at the poles. Ancient viruses, bacteria, and fungi from the past have laid dormant for millions of years, frozen under thick layers of ice. Many of these bacteria were not present on Earth’s surface at the same time as humans, and experts are unsure of the effects their reintroduction to the planet entails for humanity’s future. 

These ancient micro bacteria may include unknown species, previously eradicated pathogens, and certain types of robust bacteria able to survive immense amounts of environmental stress. Pathogens, viruses, dust, gas, and particulate matter settled into the glaciers and polar ice caps as they formed gradually over millions of years. Scientists are able to study the preserved microbiomes by sampling cores from deep within the frozen ground and ice. Frozen cores provide a snapshot of the Earth’s surface at various times throughout its history and include an array of vital environmental information. 

Each layer of the ice preserves atmospheric profiles, which scientists use to infer global temperatures, weather, composition, and more about ancient environments. The core samples give scientists a unique look into Earth’s prehistoric microbiomes for use as an indicator of future climate conditions. They study the microbiome’s genomics to understand better how these bacteria and viruses can survive in the extreme ice conditions, potentially useful for finding life on other frozen planets. Most samples are completely harmless and immediately destroyed after analysis to prevent global contamination. Still, there is always a fear of releasing a harmful microorganism if global temperature increases continue to melt the ice. 

Global warming has been a constant topic on the world stage during the 21st century as ice sheets melt, sea levels rise, and industrial emissions pollute the environment. Countries at the most immediate risk of climate change are low-lying areas impacted by sea-level rise. However, the threat of invading ancient pathogens could impact all of humanity. A child died, and twenty people were hospitalized in 2016 following the release of an ancient anthrax spore after thawing a section of frozen Siberian soil. 

This event ignited international worry that other deadly diseases could be revived, including formerly eradicated diseases like smallpox and the black plague. These human ailments could be potentially reanimated from frozen corpses trapped in the ice, dating back to early humans. Modern humans lack the immune defenses to fend off these deadly pathogens and are at even greater risk to unknown species. 

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) suggests that even if global temperatures are maintained to only 2 degrees Celsius increase by 2100, more than 25 percent of the global permafrost would still melt. Worst-case scenarios where global temperatures exceed 5 degrees Celsius would mean a catastrophic loss of up to 70 percent of the permafrost melted. To ensure minimal contact with potentially deadly ancient viruses, infrastructure, and human development must avoid newly thawed habitats. The released pathogens and viruses leach into the groundwater and saturate topsoil where humans could come into contact with them and transmit them globally.