Climate change is accelerating

To the Editor;
The Earth’s hottest 10 years since reliable measured records began in the 1800s have all been since 2014! Climate change is accelerating, and it is critical to slow the rate to give humans, plants, and animals more time to adapt.
Despite the efforts of some politicians and companies to hide the truth, the science of human-induced climate change has been well-understood since the 1980s. Primarily from the burning of coal, oil and gas, the levels of carbon dioxide since 1750 in the atmosphere have risen by about 50%. Carbon-based gases prevent some of the infrared heat emitted from Earth’s surface from reaching space. The planet has already warmed by about 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels from this process.
You’ve heard about impacts like sea level rise, coastal flooding, hurricanes intensifying at record rates, and more intense droughts and heat waves. For example, Phoenix had an absurd record of 113 days in a row this past summer with high temperatures of 100 degrees F or higher. Their longest stretch before that was only 76 days. Things that were once unthinkable are becoming common.
At the current rate of change, Wisconsin could have a climate similar to current day St. Louis by the end of the century. This will mean longer, much hotter summers, which will raise our air conditioning costs and make it harder on outdoor workers, as well as our livestock herds. Some of the animals we currently hunt and fish may not thrive here anymore. The economic loss to recreation and tourism from warmer winters, with less reliable snow and ice, has been felt for many years already and will get even more drastic.
As predicted well by climate models 20 years ago already, rainfall is becoming more extreme. For instance, in October, parts of Spain had 19 inches of rain (a whole year’s worth for them) in eight hours. Imagine the catastrophic damage to the farmland, buildings, roads, and bridges if our state was hit with 20 plus inches of rain in a day. How many people and animals would perish? It is more likely to happen with every tenth of a degree our planet warms.
As disasters pile up around the region, insurance costs will skyrocket. In between the wet bursts, prolonged intense droughts will increase wildfires, destroying valuable timber and property. New insects and diseases will move in, further threatening our crops and forests. There will be more days of poor air quality, which will take a toll on our health. The list could go on and on.
Contact your officials locally, and all the way up to the president, and press them to work urgently on sound climate policy. Even if that means fossil fuels can’t be completely phased out, our leaders can still provide funding and a good framework for carbon capture techniques, research, and adaptation strategies here and abroad to grow. We can change the trajectory of this crisis.

Tony Schumacher, Owner and Chief Meteorologist
Great Lakes Weather Service, LLC
Stetsonville, Wis.