Thursday, September 29, 2011

Mass. taking the heat from global climate change

By James M. Connolly

Temperatures are on the rise, and things are going to get a lot hotter here in Massachusetts, according to a report issued by the the Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

Massachusetts is already experiencing more extremely hot – over 90 degrees – days, earlier snow melt, and a rise in sea level, and it’s only going to get worse with 30 to 60 90-plus degree days per year by the end of the century, according to the Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Report, compiled by several state agencies under the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2008.

One takeaway from the report is that environmental agencies and health agencies need to work together to prepare better for an increase in heat-related illness.

While many of the numbers in the report have been publicized in the past few years, the report draws them together in a package.

The numbers:
* Massachusetts’ ambient temperature has increased by 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970.
* The local sea surface temperature increased by 2.3 degrees between 1970 and 2002, and is expected to grow by 8 degrees throughout the century.

* The sea level has risen 22 centimeters (about 8.5 inches) from 1921 to 2006.
* Days above 90 degrees currently range from 5 to 20 annually. The range is expected to grow to between 30 and 60 days, while the number of 100 degree days is predicted to grow from 2 days to 28 annually.

* A sea level rise of 26 inches in Boston by 2050 could damage assets worth an estimated $463 billion, while evacuation costs resulting from sea level rise and storms during a single event could range between $2 billion and $6.5 billion.