Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at CNBC, said that the extreme weather in the United States, including the Caldor Fire that scorched the West Coast and the deadly flooding and tornadoes that slammed the East Coast, was nothing to be compared to future weather events.
"This is climate changes, and it's only a preview of what's coming if we don’t stop emitting greenhouse gases into our atmosphere," stated Dessler, an atmospheric scientist at Texas A&M University. "We must do this or we will look back at these as the good ol’ days."
In fact, 2020 saw the highest ever recorded concentration of greenhouse gasses in Earth's atmosphere. The United Nations recently warned that the climate crisis will only get worse.
The remnants of Ida, a rare tornado, struck Mullica Hill in New Jersey on Wednesday night. It left a trail that caused extensive destruction. Louis Manzo, the mayor of Harrison Township, said that Mullica Hill is within Harrison Township. He also stated that unusual weather events such as this highlight the need for a reassessment on how the area is zoned and the infrastructure built.
Mazno stated, "To be completely honest, there's no denying that we have been dealing with more severe weather events lately, regardless of who the root might be, that's the truth."
Dessler said that it was time to look at coastal cities like New York and figure out how long it would be feasible for people to live there.
"We look at cities along the coast, like Miami, Houston and New York. And you think, Can those people live there for a century?" said Dessler during a Thursday evening interview. "If not, when will we have to relocate these people?" Dessler asked. It's a difficult question to answer, but one we will have to address sooner than expected.
