TALLAHASSEE—The average
temperature in cities across Florida, including Jacksonville, Gainesville,
Miami, Tampa and West Palm Beach, increased more than 0.5° F above average in
2006, according to a new report released today by Environment Florida. The report comes one week after
Governor Crist signed a series of executive orders aimed at dramatically
reducing Florida’s
global warming pollution.
“One degree may not seem like
much, but just like in people, a small, relatively rapid temperature rise can
have serious consequences,” noted Dr. Jeff Chanton, a scientist and professor
at Florida State University. Nationally, the average 2006 temperature was
at least 0.5°F above normal at 87% of the locations studied.
Environment Florida
said this warmer-than-normal weather is indicative of what Florida can expect with continued global
warming, including increased drought and wildfire, stress on already-scarce
water resources, and more frequent and intense tropical storms. So far
this year, Florida
has experienced one of the worst wildfire seasons in memory, and many cities
and counties are under water use restrictions due to historically low water
levels.
“Throw out the record books,
because global warming is raising temperatures in Florida and across the country,” said Environment
Florida Field Director Holly Binns. “The
long-term forecast is for more of the same unless we quickly and significantly
reduce global warming pollution from power plants and passenger vehicles,” continued
Binns.
According to the National Climatic Data
Center, the 2006 summer
and 2006 overall were the second warmest on record for the lower 48 states. 2007 is on track to be the second warmest
year on record globally.
To examine recent temperature
patterns in the United States,
Environment Florida compared temperature data for the years 2000-2006 from 255
weather stations located in all 50 states and Washington, DC
with temperatures averaged over the 30 years spanning 1971-2000, or what
scientists call the “normal” temperature.
Key findings for Florida include:
•
Over the course
of 2006, Orlando experienced 136 days where the temperature hit at least 90°F,
31 days more than the historical average, and the most of any city studied in
Florida and among the highest in the nation.
Other cities that experienced an increase in the number of days with
temperatures of 90 degrees or hotter include Pensacola,
Gainesville, Tallahassee,
Daytona Beach, Miami,
Jacksonville and West Palm Beach. Heat waves have serious implications for
human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and even death.
•
In 2006, Jacksonville experienced average maximum temperatures —
the highest temperatures recorded on a given day — of 2.3°F above normal, the
highest of any metro area in Florida
studied. Other cities in Florida that experienced a one degree or greater increase
in the average maximum temperature in 2006 include Pensacola,
Tallahassee and Gainesville.
•
Miami experienced
average minimum temperatures — what weather forecasters typically call the
“daily low” -- of 1.1°F above normal in 2006, the highest of anywhere in
Florida. Warmer nighttime temperatures exacerbate the public health effects of
heat waves, since people need cooler nighttime temperatures to recover from
excessive heat exposure during the day.
Other cities that experienced an increased in the average minimum
temperate in 2006 include Pensacola, Daytona Beach, West Palm Beach,
Tampa, Jacksonville,
Orlando and Ft. Myers.
The
above-average temperatures in 2006 are part of a broader warming trend since
2000. Between 2000 and 2006, the average temperature was 0.5°F above above normal at 87% of the locations
studied.
In April 2007, the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that North
America could experience significant water stress, forest fires,
and “an increased number, intensity, and duration of heat waves” as
temperatures continue to rise.
“Scientists are sounding
alarm bells about the impacts of continued global warming,” stated Binns. “The good news is that those same scientists
say we can avoid the worst effects of global warming by taking bold action now
to reduce global warming pollution. Last
week, Governor Crist put Florida
on the path to do just that, and now we need Congress to do the same,”
continued Binns.
To avoid the worst
consequences of global warming, the United States must halt increases
in global warming emissions now, cut emissions by at least 15-20% by 2020, and
slash emissions by at least 80% by 2050.
“The better news is that we
have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and forge
a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Binns.
The United States
could substantially reduce its global warming pollution by using existing
technologies to make power plants, businesses, homes, and cars more efficient
and generate more electricity from clean, renewable sources, such as wind and
solar power.
Congress is poised to
consider global warming legislation this fall.
The Safe Climate Act in the U.S. House and the Global Warming Pollution
Reduction Act in the U.S. Senate are the only bills that would reduce pollution
to levels that scientists say are needed to prevent the worst effects of global
warming.
“The heat is on Congress to
take decisive action to curb global warming,” stated Binns. “Environment Florida
calls on Senators Nelson and Martinez
to support the only bill that does what scientists say we need to do—the Global
Warming Pollution Reduction Act,” concluded Binns.
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