What Could Climate Change Mean For Baltimore And Maryland?

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — You tin already spot what clime alteration looks similar successful Maryland, from catastrophic flooding successful Ellicott City to the tornado that recently tore done Anne Arundel County.

So acold successful 2021, we’ve seen a full of 52 days with temperatures 90 degrees oregon higher successful the Baltimore area. By 2080, scientists say, the upwind present successful Baltimore volition consciousness much similar that of Mississippi.

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“Climate alteration is real,” Dr. Peter Goodwin, president of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, told WJZ. “It’s happening and it’s quality induced.”

While it mightiness beryllium casual to confuse clime with weather, Dr. Goodwin has a utile analogy that tin assistance you archer them apart. He said it tin beryllium made elemental by imaging your closet.

“What you really deterioration connected a peculiar day, that’s the upwind you experience, whereas your closet is an analogy for clime arsenic a whole,” Goodwin explained.

Climate alteration is caused by the emanation of heat-trapping gases, much commonly known arsenic greenhouse gases, which are made up chiefly of c dioxide and methane.

“We make c dioxide and methane from vigor production, peculiarly coal-fired powerplants,” Goodwin said.

As the beingness of greenhouse gases grows, it produces a warming effect that melts our planet’s glaciers and crystal sheets, which successful crook results in sea-level rise.

Here successful Maryland, the h2o aboveground of the Chesapeake Bay is rising astatine treble the complaint seen astir astir of the United States. So, low-lying coastal regions are successful jeopardy of wholly disappearing.

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The h2o level of the Chesapeake Bay is predicted to emergence 2 feet by 2050, according to scientists, who accidental it could emergence arsenic overmuch arsenic six feet by the extremity of the period if nary enactment is taken.

The planetary mean somesthesia has risen sharply since 1980. If the world warms by different 1.5 degrees Celsius, oregon 2.3 degrees Fahrenheit, experts foretell the consequences volition beryllium devastating.

“Heat waves, tornadoes, catastrophic flooding,” Dr. Goodwin said. “Extraordinary storms that had ne'er been experienced.”

So, however could that interaction you?

Well, for one, erstwhile utmost droughts oregon floods impact agriculture, it means determination is little nutrient available. With dwindling proviso comes rising demand, truthful you’ll wage much for nutrient arsenic prices spell up.

Taking things a measurement further, hunger and nutrient insecurity tin pb to struggle and societal unrest. So successful a nutshell, clime alteration tin person an power implicit each of our lives.

World leaders are gathering this week successful Scotland for “COP26,” a league connected clime change. The league comes arsenic scientists pass the satellite has little than a decennary to lick its clime crisis.

“It is dire,” Goodwin said. “And we truly request to beryllium reasoning astir our children and our children’s children. What benignant of satellite bash we privation them to beryllium surviving in?”

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To larn much astir clime alteration and however you tin bash your part, visit the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science’s website.