The Extreme 2020 Climate Catastrophes

Danielle Kuntz| Staff Writer

THE EXTREME 2020 CLIMATE CATASTROPHES

Photo by Lauren Allen What do they mean for our future?

Over the past few years, weather events that we once considered rare have only become more common. The recent wildfires blazing across the West Coast and the hurricanes that have come so far as to even affect those of us in Arkansas raise concern for the health of our planet and how it will affect our future as humans. It is our duty to educate ourselves on these present, strange weather events; such events are so imperative because they are a reflection of how humans treat the Earth and may point towards whether or not we will continue to exist for as long as we would with a healthy planet.

Just in 2020, California has had the most destructive wildfire season on record for the state, and Oregon has had one of its most destructive wildfires on record. There are about 60 separate recordings of wildfires in California in 2020 consisting of a number of individual complex fires, which are fires that contain even more individual fires. One of the most notable complex fires this year is the August Complex Fire which originated as 38 separate fires. Keep in mind, these 38 separate fires only count as one of the 60 separate recordings of wildfires so far in 2020. In fact, as of October 2nd, 8,155 fires in California have burned 4,142,656 acres. Meanwhile, fires in Oregon have burned more than 1,000,000 acres, and 90% of the fires have been attributed to human cause possibly due to increased outdoor activity because of the COVD-19 pandemic. However, wildfires are certainly not the only natural events in 2020 that have caused concern. The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season has consisted of 25 named storms and is the second most active season on record behind the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season. Of those storms, 9 made landfall in the U.S. which ties with the record set in 1916. For residents of the U.S., the most notable of the named storms are likely Hurricane Laura and Hurricane Sally. Though Hurricane Laura, which hit the U.S. on August 27th, only weakened into a tropical depression for Arkansas residents, it tied with the 1856 Last Island hurricane as the strongest landfalling hurricane in Louisiana since 1851. It killed 42 people in the United States and devastated areas in Louisiana and Texas. On the other hand, Hurricane Sally killed 8 people after touching down on Gulf Shores, Alabama, also causing wind damage between Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida.

These extreme weather events, which often force people to evacuate their homes or even lose their homes forever, have proved to be a hindrance to students especially in the online world. Professors announce that they are aware some students might be affected by the hurricanes and may lose power, so it is understandable if they are forced to leave in the middle of online class. However, one can imagine the amount of students displaced because the land around them is burning, or their houses are gone through the devastating effects of either fire or water. In the online world especially, students need access to power, a computer, and study materials for their classes, all of which could be lost in a hurricane or in a wildfire.

Though the present effects of the extreme weather events in 2020 are certainly notable, they raise some questions about the future of the planet and the occurrence of similar events. For instance, the wildfires are largely caused by California’s severe increase in heat and dryness— factors that are caused directly by climate change, hence the name “global warming.” Wildfires are not the only event whose likelihood is increased by climate change, however. Scientists have found a statistically significant connection between hurricane intensity and warmer waters, the latter of which is directly caused by climate change. Scientists also believe that climate change may create supercharged storms in the future. 2020 has brought the world record-setting extreme weather events, from the millions of acres burned in California and Oregon, to the billions of dollars in damage caused by a multitude of tropical storms. Though an extreme case of wildfires and hurricanes is to be expected once in a blue moon, these weather events most certainly should not be occurring with the frequency that they are today. These events are a mere outline of what could come in the future if we continue to perpetuate climate change instead of reducing the amount of carbon we produce. Scientists dedicate their lives to studying the natural world, many of them studying climate change and the environment specifically. The least any of us as students, consumers, and human beings can do is educate ourselves on the topic of climate change and implement practices in our daily lives that prevent us from fabricating our own doom. In order to ensure a healthy planet for ourselves, for our children, and for the continuation of humanity, conduct your own research, form your own plans to reduce your carbon footprint, and encourage others to do the same. Editor’s Note: For more information on how you can help, Hendrix’s Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC@hendrix.edu) is a great place to start