Key Facts Of The Day 4/22

Storms and Flooding

• A new law requires Hawaii home sellers to disclose sea-level rise threat.

  • Many states already require property sellers to disclose if their home is in a flood zone, but Hawaii is the first to mandate that sellers declare whether a house is located within a state-designated “sea-level-rise exposure area.”

• California officials say as much as $30 billion is needed to protect the heart of the state’s farm country from significant flooding over the next three decades.

  • The 2017 flood plan update called for $17 billion to $21 billion in investments over three decades. Since that update, about $4.4 billion has been allocated.

  • California is struggling with drought and this spring continues to be dry. Snowpack is well below average, reservoirs are low, and officials fear a bad wildfire season. But not having enough rain and snow now doesn’t mean flood risk has gone away.

Wildfires

• As of Friday, there are currently 13 large active wildfires that have burned 67,418 acres across AK, AZ, LA, NM, TX, and VA. As of Friday, 20,006 wildfires have burned 834,238 acres across the country.

• As of Friday, the Crooks Fire in Arizona has burned 2,356 acres and is 0% contained.

• As of Friday, the Tunnel Fire in Arizona has burned 20,198 and is 0% contained.

• As of Friday, the McBride Fire in New Mexico has burned 6,159 acres and is 89% contained.

• The updated State of the Air report found that over 63 million Americans are now impacted by deadly particle pollution, an increase of nearly 9 million people from previous years.

  • This particle pollution or “particulate matter” comes from wildfires, wood-burning stoves, coal-fired power plants and diesel engines.

  • It can cause multiple health problems, including asthma attacks, heart attacks and strokes. With repeated exposure, it can cause lung cancer.

  • Last summer, over 100 wildfires in the West carried smoke and ash thousands of miles, affecting places as far as New York City, where the air quality index for fine particulate matter reached levels greater than 150, which is 10 times above health exposure recommendations

Extreme Heat

• Since the first Earth Day on April 22, 1970, the U.S. national average temperature has climbed by 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and the states have warmed — many significantly.

  • Earth Day is a reminder of human-caused climate change — which is leading to more frequent and severe heat waves and wildfires, stronger hurricanes and heavier precipitation events.

  • There has been an increase of 30% in the atmospheric concentration of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere since 1970.

  • Reno, Nev. has warmed 7.7 degrees since 1970, putting it first on the list of fastest-warming cities.

  •  Alaska has warmed 4.3 degrees since 1970, earning it the title of the fastest-warming state.

• This is the second year in a row that Utah Gov. Spencer Cox has declared an emergency ahead of the summer because of drought conditions.

  • He urged residences and businesses alike to conserve or reduce water use heading into the summer months.

  • More than 99% of Utah is currently in “severe drought,” a category in which crop or pasture losses are likely, water shortages become common, and water restrictions may be imposed.

• California lawmakers move toward lowering standards for indoor water use amid drought.

  • Right now that standard for indoor residential water use is 55 gallons per person, but if the bill passes it would be lowered to 42 gallons per person.

• About four-in-ten U.S. adults (42%) say that dealing with climate change should be a top priority for President Joe Biden and Congress to address this year.

New Reports And Data

• An April 2022 report found that almost half of Americans — 137 million people — are experiencing more days of “very unhealthy” and “hazardous” air quality than in the previous two decades combined.

• An April 2022 study found that offshore wind could drive down energy costs in New England, U.S.

• An April 2022 study found a lesser-known form of ozone playing a big role in heating the Southern Ocean — one of Earth’s main cooling systems.