The article discusses the increasing severity of forest fires due to climate change, particularly in the West. It highlights the economic and health risks associated with drought-induced fires, citing past destructive seasons. The main solution is reducing fossil fuel emissions, conserving water, and preparing for future challenges posed by drought and wildfires.
Hello! Long time no blogging. The doc was getting burned out from work and other things… then Hurricane Harvey hit Houston. I survived with little damage to my house, so I’m pretty happy about that. Unfortunately, many of my friends and coworkers were not so lucky. They had damage ranging from a few inches of water in their garage, submerged cars and trucks, a few inches in their house, to having the entire first floor under water. Lots of hassles, from cleaning out a garage to gutting an entire floor of a house — and all the headaches of dealing… Read More »Surviving Harvey
Winter kills. Extreme cold weather affects the elderly and very young children who can’t keep themselves warm, the homeless living on the street, and the poor who have to choose between food or heat. Also, people who get trapped in their cars, or end up in an auto accident due to slippery roads, are also paying the price of extreme winter weather. The homeless are especially at risk. When I was in medical school during my vascular surgery rotation at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital, one night we amputated both feet of a homeless veteran due to massive frostbite and gangrene. This happened in a big… Read More »Who Survives Extreme Winter Storms?
With all of the extreme rain and snow storms across the US lately, the obvious question arises… are these events linked to climate change? New research shows us the answer is a resounding ‘yes’. And it actually makes perfect sense. Carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere, and a warmer atmosphere holds more moisture. When you combine warmer, moist air with disruption of the Jet Stream cased by a warming Arctic, you get huge, slow-moving weather fronts packed with moisture. This is the exact recipe for epic, extreme storms. As an example, on Memorial Day in 2015, a massive storm parked over southern Texas and dropped nearly 11 inches of… Read More »Climate Change and Deadly Floods: What you need to know
One effect of climate change is that spring comes sooner and summer stays longer. A longer summer makes ragweed and other plants pump out more pollen — making us miserable. An analysis of pollen data for the past few decades shows that the pollen producing season of ragweed has increased by up to 27 days as you go north from Oklahoma up into Canada. This is undeniable evidence of a warming world. Unfortunately, for folks like me, with a terrible allergy to ragweed, this is bad news. Fortunately, I don’t have asthma, but for those who do, it’s even worse. Asthma can be triggered… Read More »How are your allergies affected by climate change?