Del Mar Global Trust This is Climate Change

  • Credit: NASA. Global Surface Temperatures ► ◄
  • Tropical Storm Lee deposited up to 10 inches of rainfall in parts of New York and Pennsylvania in early September, 2011. The photo on the left shows the extent of flooding in Binghampton, NY. The map on the right illustrates the difference from normal rainfall along the Eastern US for the period 1-14 September. Normal precipitation is illustrated in white; more than normal is shown in purples. Tropical Storm Lee forced over 20,000 Binghampton residents to evacuate and is reported to be responsible for at least 15 deaths. (NOAA). Photo credits: NOAA. Left photo courtesy of the National Weather Service Forecast Office in Binghampton, NY. Rainfall map by Hunter Allen, based on data from the NWS Advanced Hydrological Prediction Service. Flooding in Binghampton, NY. Early September, 2011. ► ◄
  • Heavy April precipitation coupled with heavy spring snowmelt runoff contributed to 'historical flooding' and the 'wettest spring on record' along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers, as reported by NOAA. Photo credit: Gary Braasch/World View of Global Warming. Mississippi River flooding, north of Memphis, TN. May 10, 2011. ► ◄

Global Temperature Increase and Extreme Weather

The average global surface temperature is increasing, as reported by NOAA, NASA, the UK Met Office, and other leading scientific institutions. Worldwide surface temperature changes are not uniform (some areas have experienced cooling), but on average, the global surface temperature has increased by about 1.5°F since 1900.

In November 2011, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released a special report concluding that human activity had not just caused warming of the earth’s atmosphere, but also an increase in extreme weather and climatic events around the world. Heat is a form of energy, and higher temperatures may increase the severity of weather events. Also, warmer air holds more water vapor (a greenhouse gas,) that can result in increased precipitation. Although it is impossible to link one weather event to climate change, there is a clear trend of increasing severe weather.

For the United States as a whole, the average temperature has increased by more than 2°F over the past 50 years. The Midwest and northern Great Plains have experienced higher than average winter temperature increases of more than 7°F.

In 2011, the United States experienced a remarkable number of extreme weather events.  The southern US (Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona, southern Kansas, western Louisiana) and northern Mexico experienced over $10 billion in damage from drought.  2011 was Texas’ driest year on record; July 2011 was Oklahoma’s hottest month ever recorded.  In August, Hurricane Irene caused over $7.3 billion in damage and at least 46 deaths in the US (Irene caused over $1 billion damages and at least 9 deaths in Canada and the Caribbean).

In the spring of 2011, the United States experienced unprecedented flooding, drought, tornadoes and wildfires. NOAA reported that “each of these extremes broke long-standing records, and were comparable to the ‘worst such cases’ in history.” Flooding along the Mississippi Rover surpassed historic levels, causing $3-4 billion in damages and at least 7 deaths. The Storm Prediction Center recorded 875 preliminary tornado reports in April alone, causing upwards of $18.9 billion in damages. Although it is impossible to link any one weather event to climate change, there is a clear trend of increasing severe weather, a trend that has been predicted by many research climatologists.

Global Observations:

  • Munich RE, a multinational reinsurance company, identifies 2011 as the costliest year for insurance reimbursement in recorded history. With over US$ 380 billion in estimated global damages, only one third of these losses were covered by insurance. Although the frequency of geological disasters (earthquakes) stayed the same, their records show an increase in weather-related events (storms, droughts, wildfires) since the 1980s. Munich RE attributes this increase to climate change.
  • November 2011: Flooding in Thailand affects more than 13.4 million people; the death toll is estimated to be over 650. As of December 1, the World Bank estimates economic damages at US$ 45.7 billion, with more than 4 million homes damaged.
  • July 2011: Drought in East Africa causes a severe food crisis. Tens of thousands of deaths from starvation in the region prompt the United Nations to declare a famine for the first time in nearly thirty years. Famine exacerbates tensions in regions experiencing frequent armed conflict, and unsettles nearby regions with mass influx of refugees.
  • Spring 2011: Flooding in Columbia is the most severe in the country’s recorded history, killing 116 and causing US$ 5.85 billion in damage.
  • December 2010 – January 2011: Flooding in Queensland, Australia kills a reported 35 people and causes about US$30 billion in damage.
  • August 2010: A block of ice over 100 square miles in surface area (four times the size of Manhattan) breaks off from the Greenland’s Petermann Glacier. This is the largest ice island to break off in the Arctic since 1962.
  • June 2010: NOAA reports that June 2010 was the fourth consecutive month that was the warmest on record, and the 304th consecutive month with temperatures above the 20th century average, since record keeping began in 1880.
  • Summer 2010: Russia and much of Eastern Europe experience the worst heat wave in 130 years. Temperatures in Moscow reach 38.2°C (100.8°F) resulting in numerous deaths and wildfires. Preliminary estimates for Russia indicate about 55,000 heat related deaths, 25% annual crop loss, more than 1 million hectares (about 2.5 million acres) of burned areas, and an economic loss of US$ 15 billion.
  • January to July 2010: The hottest period on record. The year 2010 tied with 2005 as the warmest years since record keeping began in 1880.  NOAA marked 2010 as the 34th consecutive year with an average global temperature above the 20th century average. Independent research by NASA and the UK Met Office Hadley Centre support these observations.