More Extreme Weather: Implications
for Public Health and Social Justice
N A T I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R A T I O N 2 0 0 9
ReportC O N F R O N T I N G G L O B A L W A R M I N G
Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding...
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More Extreme Weather: Implications
for Public Health and Social Justice
N A T I O N A L W I L D L I F E F E D E R A T I O N 2 0 0 9
ReportC O N F R O N T I N G G L O B A L W A R M I N G
Global warming is making hot days hotter, rainfall and flooding heavier,
storms stronger, and droughts more severe.
These will be the most visible
impacts of global warming in our everyday lives and will have grave
implications for public health and social justice.
Indeed, our urban
infrastructure, flood protection measures, emergency management
strategies, and agricultural systems were all developed based on past
experience with extreme weather.
But, with global warming pushing these
extremes beyond their historical limits, we can no longer plan for the
future based on past climate conditions.
We are already seeing these impacts across the nation.
The long-term
warming trend is undeniable: according to NASA, the ten warmest years
on record globally all occurred within the 12-year period 1997-2008.
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