The figure above shows the number of days the temperature will exceed 90°F by century’s end in the IPCC’s A2 scenario (850 ppm), which is actually lower than our current emissions trajectory (see “Global Warming Is A Medical Emergency”: Hellish heatwaves to harm health of millions).
Yet even though much of his state is poised to exceed 90°F much of the year, Rep. Paul Broun (R-GA) went to the floor of the House last week to slam clean energy legislation because it would supposedly lead to … hyperthermia, where body temperatures skyrocket, and then “people are gonna die because of that”! Here is his bizarre rant:
BROUN: A lot of old people in Georgia and Florida and all out through the southeast and southwest they’re depending upon air condition just to live. And if their electricity goes sky high, and the energy bill is gonna make that happen if it ever passes. And a lot of people aren’t gonna be able to afford to run their air condition anymore. And a lot of people are gonna have a hard time with, hyperthermia is what we call in medicine as a medical doctor, their body temperature is gonna go up. They’re gonna get dehydration and people are gonna have a lot of problems and it’s gonna have a greater impact on our health care system and people are gonna die because of that. And it’s gonna kill jobs too.
Thing Progress notes:
This isn’t the first time Broun has claimed that congressional legislation is going to kill people. Last July, the congressman claimed that if Congress were to pass comprehensive health care reform, “a lot of people are going to die.” It is worth noting that, according to a 2007 study by Harvard University researchers, that global warming could lead to a significant rise in heat-related deaths. (HT: Media Matters)
I would add that the House’s clean energy legislation would not merely help avoid catastrophic global warming but creates a vast pool of money that will be invested in energy efficiency, lowering people’s energy bills and making them less likely to lose their air-conditioning for lack of money (see “New EPA analysis of Waxman-Markey: Consumer electric bills 7% lower in 2020 thanks to efficiency — plus 22 GW of extra coal retirements and no new dirty plants“ and “The triumph of energy efficiency: Waxman-Markey could save $3,900 per household and create 650,000 jobs by 2030“).
Hellish heat waves will in fact become commonplace in the coming decades if we don’t reverse greenhouse gas emissions trends sharply and soon, as the figure above makes clear (see “Definitive NOAA-led report warns of scorching 9 to 11°F warming over most of inland U.S. by 2090 with Kansas above 90°F some 120 days a year — and that isn’t the worst case, it’s business as usual!“). By 2090, it’ll be above 90°F some 120 days a year in Kansas — more than the entire summer. Much of Florida and Texas will exceed 90°F half the days of the year. These won’t be called heat waves anymore. It’ll just be the “normal” climate.
Based on two studies: By century’s end, extreme temperatures of up to 122°F would threaten most of the central, southern, and western U.S. Even worse, Houston and Washington, DC could experience temperatures exceeding 98°F for some 60 days a year. Much of Arizona would be subjected to temperatures of 105°F or more for 98 days out of the year–14 full weeks.
On our current emissions path, we may well exceed the A2 scenario and hit A1F1 (see U.S. media largely ignores latest warning from climate scientists: “Recent observations confirm … the worst-case IPCC scenario trajectories (or even worse) are being realised” — 1000 ppm).
In a terrific March presentation, Climate scientist Katherine Hayhoe has a figure of what the A1F1 would mean (derived from the NOAA-led report):
Much of Georgia would be exceed 100°F virtually every day of the entire summer.
Yes, I am aware that there is a new hyperthermia study out there I haven’t yet blogged on. It is coming!
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