Editor, Gazette-Journal:
Even a fourth grader will tell you that the Earth’s annual trip around the sun has nothing to do with steadily rising temperatures, Mr. Sardina (“Why is it so hot?” June 26 Readers Write).
Looking out our “windows,” we can easily see the profound and accelerating impacts climate change is having:
—Atmospheric CO₂ levels—now at 430 ppm, the highest in 800,000 years from human burning of fossil fuels—are driving global warming, raising air and water temperatures, and causing sea levels to rise. Since 1930, our sea level has risen 18 inches. This sea level rise is accelerating shoreline erosion and creating “ghost forests” as saltwater seeps into once-productive forests and farmland (e.g., Bethel Beach).
—Average regional temperatures have increased by approximately 2°F every 40 years, prompting the USDA to reclassify the area’s plant hardiness zone from 7b to 8a. Seasonal shifts disrupt natural cycles, desynchronizing plant flowering from pollinator and wildlife ...