Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has recently issued a stark warning about the effects of climate change on the world’s transportation systems. He pointed out that severe weather events, including heat waves and increasingly intense hurricanes, are posing a significant threat to various modes of transportation.
Buttigieg’s warning was issued in the wake of a tragic incident involving a Singapore Airlines flight that experienced severe turbulence near Bangkok, Thailand. The incident, which resulted in the death of a passenger, has been linked to the increasingly severe effects of climate change.
The Transportation Secretary drew attention to the increasing frequency and severity of turbulence due to climate change. This issue, he noted, is becoming a major concern for the aviation industry. Research supports Buttigieg’s assertions. Studies, including those conducted at the University of Reading, have found that clear-air turbulence is increasing due to climate change. In fact, the incidence of severe in-air turbulence has increased by 55 percent between 1979 and 2020.
Buttigieg emphasized the urgent need for the U.S. to adapt its policies, technology, and infrastructure to the changing climate in order to ensure transportation safety. His stance aligns with a federal report published in November, which advocated for transformative adaptation policies and significant emissions reductions in response to the evident effects of climate change across the U.S.
The issue of turbulence due to stronger jet stream winds driven by climate change has sparked debates about whether customers should expect more turbulence in the future. Buttigieg also highlighted other instances of climate change’s impact on transportation, such as unprecedented heatwaves threatening to melt transit system cables in the Pacific Northwest, intensifying hurricane seasons, and a 15% increase in turbulence as direct evidence of the effects of our changing climate on transportation.
The message from the Transportation Secretary is clear: climate change is not just a future threat – it is already impacting our transportation systems, and we must take immediate action to adapt and mitigate its dangerous effects.
Science4Data is committed to cut through greenwashing and measure real impact. Join the journey to a sustainable future. Your actions matter.
