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Washington, DC—Temperatures in the Washington, DC
region were unusually warm in 2006 and are part of a trend toward warmer
weather in the area, according to a new report released today by the U.S.
Public Interest Research Group (U.S. PIRG). The average temperature at Washington’s
Reagan National
Airport was 1.9°F above normal in 2006,
while the average temperature at Dulles
International Airport
was 3.0°F above normal.
“Throw
out the record books, because global warming is raising temperatures in the Washington region and
across the country,” said U.S. PIRG Federal Global Warming Program Director
Emily Figdor. “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 Figdor.
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.
“Rising
temperatures can have a powerful impact on our health, contributing to heat
stress, poor air quality, and the spread of mosquito-transmitted and other
infectious diseases. These effects will
disproportionately affect outdoor workers, the elderly,
children, low-income populations, and those suffering
from asthma, heart disease, and other chronic illnesses,” said Kristen
Welker-Hood, Senior Policy Fellow at the American Nurses Association’s Center
for Occupational and Environmental Health.
To
examine recent temperature patterns in the United
States, U.S. PIRG 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 the Washington
region include:
• *
In
2006, the average temperature was 1.9°F above normal at Washington’s
Reagan National
Airport and 3.0°F above normal at Dulles International
Airport. Nationally, the average 2006 temperature was
at least 0.5°F above normal at 87 percent of the locations studied.
• *
During
the summer of 2006, the mercury hit at least 90°F on 40 days at Dulles, 12 days
more than the historical average. Temperatures
reached at least 90°F on 36 days at Reagan National, which is consistent with
the historical average. Heat waves have
serious implications for human health, causing heat stroke, heat exhaustion,
and even death.
• *
The
Washington
region’s above-average temperatures in 2006 are part of a broader warming trend
since 2000. Between 2000 and 2006, the
average temperature was 0.8°F and 1.3°F above the 30-year average at Reagan
National and Dulles airports, respectively. Nationally, the average temperature during this seven-year period was at
least 0.5°F above normal at 87 percent of the locations studied.
In
April 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change found that North America will experience significant water stress,
forest fires, and “an increased number, intensity, and duration of heat waves”
as temperatures continue to rise.
“Heat
waves are becoming more common, intense, prolonged, and widespread, and
disproportionate warming at night and higher humidity as a result of climate
change are exacerbating the health consequences. This study by U.S. PIRG dramatizes the issue
for the United States, which must prepare for more summers like that of 2006,
while taking concrete action to reduce harmful emissions,” said Paul R.
Epstein, the Associate Director of Harvard Medical School’s Center for Health
and the Global Environment.
“Scientists are sounding alarm bells about the
impacts of continued global warming. But
those same scientists say we can avoid the worst effects of global warming by taking
bold action now to reduce global warming pollution,” said Figdor. “Congress can take action next week by passing
H.R. 969, the Renewable Electricity Standard.”
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 percent by 2020, and
slash emissions by at least 80 percent by 2050.
“We
already have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution
and forge a cleaner, more secure energy future,” said Figdor.
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 House and the
Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act in the 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. To protect our environment, our economy, and
future generations, we can’t settle for less,” concluded Figdor.
###
U.S. PIRG is the federation of state
Public Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit, non-partisan
public interest advocacy organizations.
