Replies to post #7362 on High Wire Networks Inc (HWNI)

[goforthebet]

that is scary....

New York By 2050 Is Projected to Be Hotter Than Atlanta Today

By Alex Morales

Aug. 20 (Bloomberg) -- Summers in the Big Apple are set to get a whole lot hotter. That’s according to projections by Climate Central that show New York in 2050 will have more hot days in August than Atlanta does now.

In the 2050s, New York will likely have an average of 12 days every August when temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius); four days hotter than 95 degrees and one day in excess of 100 degrees, the group said. That compares to the 1980s and ‘90s when New York logged four, one and zero days at those temperatures and Atlanta had 11, two and zero days.

From Washington to Los Angeles and Seattle to Miami, the number of hot days rose or remained the same for each of the 21 cities examined. More heat waves could increase demand for energy and water and put people at risk of heat-related death, the group said. Even so, it said actions now that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions blamed for global warming will affect future temperature trajectories.

“How hot it will get will depend on the choices we make about energy and transportation in the years to come,” said Berrien Moore III, executive director of Climate Central, a U.S. nonprofit group with offices in Princeton, New Jersey, and Palo Alto, California.

The projections are based on greenhouse-gas emissions increasing at a rate below the current trend, the group said. Twelve climate models were used and were “unanimous” in projecting increased hot days between now and mid-century, the group said on its Web site.

The results showed Houston, Sacramento, Tampa Bay and Orlando by 2050 are projected to join Phoenix and Dallas in having more than half of the days in a typical August hotter than 95 degrees, with Washington, Denver, Chicago and Philadelphia joining the ranks of cities with at least one August day registering a temperature of 100 degrees.

“Heat waves are considered public health emergencies,” the group said. “Hot temperatures contribute to increased emergency room visits and hospital admissions for cardiovascular disease and can cause heat stroke and other life-threatening conditions.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Alex Morales in London at [e-mail].

Last Updated: August 20, 2009 07:24 EDT