April 22 is recognized around the globe each year is Earth Day. It is a date set aside by many to promote environmental protection. This year marks the 47th year for Earth Day.
One of the many issues that is often discussed on this date is how our warming climate is impacting various regions around the planet. With the assistance of Climate Central, we thought we would take some time today to see just how our climate has been changing in North Carolina and the United States since the very first Earth Day in 1970.
Climate Central, an independent group of scientists and journalists that researches the impacts of climate change, recently analyzed temperature data around the country since 1970. They found the annual average temperature of every state has risen. Here in North Carolina, the annual average temperature is now 1.8°F warmer than it was in 1970. The annual average temperature for the entire country is now 2.3°F warmer.
It is important to note that the Earth's climate and been warming well before that first Earth Day in 1970. Data from NOAA and NASA shows that last month was the 627th consecutive month (over 52 years) that the global average temperature was warmer than the average from 1881-1910. Those years are often used as a baseline because it's the earliest reliable temperature data from the early industrial area.
Climate scientists attribute the warming climate to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide since the pre-industrial era. Just since that first Earth Day in 1970, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased 24 percent.
