Michigan counties listed as 'hot spots' in massive 'Washington Post' climate analysis
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All around the world, the effects of climate change can be seen and felt by millions of people — and three Michigan counties were listed as among the rapidly heating regions in the U.S., according to The Washington Post.
The "critical threshold for global warming" has been identified as 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the Post, and the 2015 Paris accord expressed that temperature increases should be "well below" that. However, the report identifies that a cluster of counties near the northeastern shore of Lake Michigan were among several isolated hotspots in the country.
Between 1895 and 2018, Benzie County's temperature increased by an alarming 4.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Grand Traverse County's temperature also increased by 4.1 degrees, and Leelanau County's temperature increased by 4 degrees Fahrenheit. Wayne County has increased 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit in that time frame.
“Climate change is a present-tense reality, not one looming ominously in the distant future," the Post reported. “The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warns that if Earth heats up by an average of 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, virtually all the world’s coral reefs will die; retreating ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica could unleash massive sea level rise; and summertime Arctic sea ice, a shield against further warming, would begin to disappear."
The effects of warming temperatures can be felt from Alaska to Hawaii, and even states like Rhode Island and Utah have seen higher average temperatures with increasingly negative effects. In the United States, one in 10 people are living in a rapidly heating region.
The existential threat of climate change is a topic that has come up on the 2020 presidential campaign trail, with Democratic candidates like Jay Inslee emphasizing it in his campaign.
Climate change has been something President Donald Trump has also rolled back regulations on; most recently, he reversed Obama-era regulations on coal plants, as well as changed how the Endangered Species Act is applied — effectively limiting the scope and effectiveness of the law.
As the pressure for politicians to do more in regard to climate change mounts, some world leaders seem hesitant to work proactively to reduce the harmful effects of climate change. It is becoming increasingly crucial for people everywhere to take action and do their part to reduce it.
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