How climate change is impacting communities across America
Your political beliefs have nothing to do with climate science, believe it or not.
TOLEDO, Ohio — Climate change. Some believe in it and some don’t, but regardless of where you stand on the issue, it’s real. According to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration data, Toledo alone has warmed an average 3.3º since 1970. That number varies based on where you are in the state of Ohio.
And while it may not seem like a big change, the largest driving factor of these temperature increases appears to be human activity. Ohio, for instance, is a major user of coal, which is used to produce energy, of course. The problem, though, is that this practice produces heat-trapping gasses, which in turn, warm our climate.
Here at home, President Joe Biden announced actions to aid communities in the impact from climate change — but announced little to actually combat it. This comes as Congress failed to make progress in pushing the Biden climate agenda forward.
The president did not declare climate change a national emergency, rather he boosted funding by $2.3 billion, to a program that helps low-income families cover heating and cooling costs. That same program also equips communities with the resources they need in the case disaster strikes, such as flood control and the materials to retrofit buildings.
One notable aspect of the president’s executive order is directing the Department of the Interior to propose new offshore wind infrastructure in the Gulf of Mexico. If successful, it’s a plan that could power more than 3 million homes with a renewable energy source.
The impacts of climate change are easy to find. For example, according to the City of Las Vegas, in August of last year, the federal government issued a water shortage declaration on the Colorado River. The river flows into Lake Mead, which serves as the water supply for California, Arizona, Nevada, and even parts of Mexico. And in January of this year, southern Nevada’s water allocation was reduced by 7 billion gallons.
So the longer we choose to ignore climate change, the less we’ll get out of Mother Earth. It’s a matter of the future of the human race, and all the wildlife we share this planet with.
