It sure is hot, but is it global warming?
Climate scientists are careful to not jump to that or any other conclusion. Whether it’s Hurricane Emily, the Midwest drought or this long-lasting heat wave, the only way to know if short-term weather events precurse long-term climate change is by collecting years and years of scientific data.
Dramatic weather is consistent with the predicted consequences of global warming. Some changes, in turn, could disrupt rain patterns – and the state doesn’t seem to be getting its usual number of afternoon thundershowers.
In Colorado, the saying goes, if you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes. But when it comes to the larger issue, climate change, we shouldn’t wait too long. Even if triple-digit temps aren’t directly related to global warming, they’re a good reminder of the value of reducing fossil-fuel use and boosting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.
The heat also is a reminder of why the Front Range needs to control ozone, a pollutant linked to relentless summer sun. High in the atmosphere, ozone protects our planet from the sun’s harmful rays. Close to the ground, ozone becomes a pollutant that hurts human health. While most people have enough sense to not exercise in the heat of the day, folks also should avoid exerting themselves when ozone levels are high.
Ozone forms when certain chemicals (paint fumes, car exhaust, even lighter fluids) “cook” for hours in the hot summer sun. When the Front Range doesn’t get those afternoon thunderclouds, Colorado’s brilliant sun has all day to bake the air we breathe. In recent days, ozone at several Front Range locations jumped to unhealthy levels. An ozone alert was issued in metro Denver yesterday and could be again today. Measurements in Colorado Springs busted federal limits last week – the first time in years that unhealthy ozone levels were recorded in the southern Front Range. The finding shows that ozone is a regional problem, stemming from many sources.
Nearly three years ago, the Regional Air Quality Council and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment adopted an early-action plan to try to keep Front Range ozone levels within acceptable limits. Without that plan, the problem would be worse.
Yet the plan works only if citizens do their part. Thanks to a federal grant, the air quality council is running TV ads telling people to wait until late in the day to fuel their cars or mow their lawns. If the public goes along, people will avoid putting chemicals that cause ozone into the air during the hours such pollution is most likely to form. We may think we can’t do anything about the weather, but we can help control ozone.
