Madeline Page
Report: Generation Z experiencing record precipitation
Media Contacts
Environment New Hampshire Research and Policy Center
CONCORD, NH– Young adults in New Hampshire are experiencing hotter temperatures and more intense storms than their predecessors did in the 1970’s, according to a new report by Environment New Hampshire Research & Policy Center.
“We used to think global warming would happen someday, but someday is now,” said Madeline Page, title with Environment New Hampshire. “We’re are already seeing record heat and more extreme weather, and without bold action, the next generation will be left a dangerous inheritance.”
Intense storm events like 2014’s Black Friday Ice Storm have led to the 40-percent increase in precipitation Granite Staters have experienced over the last 40 years, according to the analysis, Dangerous Inheritance: The Hotter, More Extreme Climate We’re Passing Down to America’s Young. In New England, a storm that used to occur every 12 months in 1948 now occurs every 6.5 months.
The report also shows that temperatures have risen 2.5 degrees over the last five generations, leading to rising numbers of unhealthy air days.
“People who grew up in the NH seacoast share a long, rich legacy of coastal experiences – beach excursions, scenic drives and gathering for shellfish dinners,” said Julie LaBranche, Senior Planner for the Rockingham Planning Commission. “It’s difficult to think of a future where this coastal legacy is vastly altered or diminished. Times have changed in only a few short years as discussions about climate change are venturing beyond the halls of research and academia into the mainstream of local planning.”
Researchers found similar increases in temperatures and extreme weather across the country. In every state, young adults are experiencing warmer average temperatures than young adults in the Baby Boomer generation. The biggest rain and snowstorms produce 10 percent more rainfall in 2011 than they did in 1948.
According to the report, If the United States and the world continue to emit more carbon pollution, by the end of the century, when today’s children will be reaching retirement age, the temperature will have risen 5-10 °F.
“With the new unprecedented effects of extreme weather in New England which we know is a direct result of a changing climate, businesses all the more understand that addressing and slowing global warming is not only the right thing to do morally but also has direct effect on their bottom-lines and profit margins, said Sarah Brown, Director of Green Alliance.
To avoid increasing average temperature and the dangerous weather scientists predict will come with it, Environment New Hampshire advocates dramatic cuts in carbon pollution, starting with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Power Plan, which requires a 30 percent reduction in power plant emissions by 2030. Senator Ayotte’s support of that plan is critical, advocates said today.
“We need leaders like Senator Ayotte to back dramatic cuts in pollution, starting with the Clean Power Plan, so that we don’t pass down a more dangerous climate to the next generation,” concluded Page.
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Environment New Hampshire Research & Policy Center is a statewide advocacy organization bringing people together for a cleaner, greener, healthier future.