Going to the beach in summer is a happy tradition for a lot of people. This year, the beach may be the only reprieve from the heat. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has just confirmed what you may have already suspected – Americans are enduring the hottest weather in our recorded history.
According to the Environmental Defense Fund, these bad weather trends are not unexpected.
“For a long time now, the world’s top climate researchers have told us about the strong evidence of links between dangerous weather and climate change.
Greenhouse gas pollution traps heat in our atmosphere, which interferes with normal weather patterns. That means we can expect more – and probably worse – weird weather in the future.
Climate change doesn’t just mean higher heat. It means more severe and damaging weather events across the country – including more frequent and heavier rains in some areas, increased drought in others, a potential increase in the intensity of hurricanes, and more coastal erosion because of rising sea levels.
Changing weather patterns changes will affect our agriculture, water supplies, health and economy.” ~ EDF
Apparently, it will affect our beaches too. As many of us go to the beach to try to escape the heat, and enjoy the seashells, salty water and breeze. We get so used to seeing things that seem commonplace, like cell towers and power plants. After a while we don’t notice them anymore. But count on young children to see things that we don’t, like this little girl in the cartoon. That’s a good thing because they will need to keep noticing those things that go up into the air if they want a less polluted future.