A recent analysis by Climate Central has shed light on the fact that human-induced climate change has a direct impact on the soaring temperatures experienced across the United States. The study unveiled that a staggering 97% of the U.S. population, approximately 326 million people, faced at least one summer day in 2023 with temperatures significantly influenced by human-caused climate change.
The study delved into weather patterns across 244 U.S. cities and the results were rather alarming. In at least half of these cities, it was found that half of all summer days had temperatures that were made twice as likely due to climate change. Cities such as San Juan in Puerto Rico, Victoria in Texas, and Lafayette in Louisiana recorded the most hot summer days influenced by climate change.
This national analysis echoes a similar global study by Climate Central, which revealed that nearly half of the world’s population experienced temperatures made more probable by global warming this summer. The analysis leveraged the Climate Shift Index (CSI), a tool developed by Climate Central. The CSI measures the likelihood of observed or forecast temperatures occurring without the excess atmospheric greenhouse gases produced by human activities.
The summer of 2023 was particularly harsh, ranking it as the fourth hottest on record in the U.S, with July being the hottest month ever recorded. The U.S was not just plagued by heat but also suffered from widespread drought conditions. Over half of the country experienced moderate to extreme drought, igniting wildfires that razed over 3 million acres across the West and Alaska.
The summer also bore witness to an increase in extreme weather events such as hurricanes and flash floods. These catastrophic events caused billions of dollars in damage and led to loss of lives, a trend consistent with climate change predictions. The data gathered and its implications serve as a stark reminder that human-induced climate change is not a distant threat, but a present danger, affecting millions of lives across the globe.
