Global Warming Signs in Summer

Scientists See Summer Full of Global Warming Signs

This summer's wildfires in Russia, floods in Pakistan, torrential rainfall in China and sweltering heat waves in 15 (out of 50) U.S. states are all signs of the effects of global warming identified by scientists in the U.S. Global Change Research Program, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS).

In its report, Global Climate Change in the United States, the U.S. Global Change Research Program predicted that climate change associated with global warming would trigger devastating heat, along with unusually heavy rains in some parts of the world, and extended droughts in others.

While heavy rains may not seem consistent with a warming world, they are, says the Union of Concerned Scientists. "While it may seem counterintuitive, a warming planet generates more precipitation in regions that typically experience rain or snow. That is because a warmer atmosphere absorbs and retains more water from the soil and water bodies--lakes, rivers and oceans. Where storm clouds gather, the atmosphere typically has more water to dump, producing heavier-than-normal storms."

The villain, according to the Concerned Scientists and the U.S. Global Change Research Program, is the ongoing burning of fossil fuels which causes a build-up of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, resulting in a steady increase in the Earth's average temperature.

"Climate scientists have been warning for years about the potential for intense heat waves, droughts and drenching rains in various parts of the world," said Brenda Ekwurzel, a climate scientist with the UCS in a press release. "This intense weather is consistent with well-documented climate change trends over the past several decades. Unless we significantly reduce global warming emissions, we'll likely see even more extreme weather events."