We recently reported that climatologists are using supercomputers to try to figure out exactly how global warming will affect different parts of the world. Researcher Cameron Wake says, “The very notion of the Northeast as we know it is at stake. The near-term emissions choices we make in the Northeast and throughout the world will help determine the climate and quality of life our children and grandchildren experience.”
A two-year study, Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast, looked at the regional consequences of continued reliance on energy sources such as coal and oil that produce high levels of heat-trapping emissions versus shifting to clean and renewable energy. Researchers want to assess the impacts of global warming on forests and agriculture, coastal and marine resources, human health, and urban centers across the Northeast.
The researchers came up with two possible scenarios, depending on whether or not we are able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which lead to similar consequences in early decades, but will have starkly different outcomes as the children born today reach middle-age. The study analyzed the future in 30 year increments: from 2010-2039, 2040-2069, and 2070-2099.
Under the higher emissions path, temperatures are projected to increase 6.5-12.5
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