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Climate Change Has Arrived — in the USA

This is what the climate record shows.

It has been getting warmer everywhere. Even eight years ago, I recall the Alaska state emergency management director giving a presentation on climate change in Alaska and what it means for the communities there that live close to the earth. 

Then there is this Washington Post article from today, Extreme climate change has arrived in America.

Rising temperatures are not even across the lower 48 states, but there are "hot spots" that meet or exceed the 2 degrees Celsius that the United Nations has established as a significant threshold for climate impacts.

The article reflects primarily on temperatures themselves and not so much the accompanying impacts that are here already or will manifest themselves in numerous ways. I expect there will be places in the South and West where being outside for extended periods of time in the summer will not be humanly possible, without critical impacts to human effort — outside. 

Construction workers, kids playing outside and other outdoor activities will be significantly curtailed. 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.