Global Warming News

Glendale, AZ—As Americans gear up for Sunday’s Super Bowl, Environment America held an event today to highlight how global warming could affect the future success of the Patriots, Giants and other cold weather teams across the country.  Specifically, the group highlighted the threat of rising winter temperatures lessening the cold weather that has historically given cold weather teams an edge over warm weather rivals.       

While numerous studies have documented the many serious ways in which global warming could harm the country’s environment, economy and quality of life, from more severe heat waves to the spread of infectious diseases, Environment America’s event was intended to show how even the game of football could be altered.  

Advocates from Environment Rhode Island and Environment New Jersey—the Rhode Island and New Jersey affiliates of Environment America—were in Arizona this week spreading the word about this issue.  Given their home states, the advocates are cheering for opposing teams this weekend, but were unified in their message on global warming.

“As if we needed another reason to tackle global warming, now even football could be affected,” said Matt Auten, Advocate with Environment Rhode Island.  “My colleague from New Jersey and I have very different takes on who will win this weekend, but we both agree that Congress must get serious about global warming before rising temperatures fumble away both of our teams’ home field advantages.” 

National trends from recent seasons suggest that a home field advantage for cold weather teams over their warm weather rivals may truly exist.  Environment America pointed to the National Football League’s 14 cold weather teams having won 65 percent of their home games played after Halloween against warm weather teams from 1998 through 2005.

Unfortunately for the fans of these cold weather teams, winter temperatures are on the rise in cold weather teams’ cities across the country, potentially threatening the home field advantage that these teams have historically enjoyed.  Specifically, Environment America compared the average temperatures in 14 cold weather teams’ cities* for the last seven football seasons to the average temperatures measured in those cities from 1971-2000.  In just the last seven years, the cities’ average temperatures from November through January have risen significantly. 

Environment America’s analysis found that:

·         All 14 cold-weather teams’ cities—including those of the Super Bowl-bound New England Patriots and New York Giants—saw an increase in winter temperatures from 2000-2007 as compared to the previous thirty years. 

·         The Green Bay Packers had the largest temperature increase during the last seven seasons, a 4.1 degree Fahrenheit increase as compared to the previous thirty years.

·         The New York Giants and New England Patriots saw temperature increases of 1.7 and 0.8 degrees Fahrenheit respectively during the last seven years, as compared to the previous thirty years.  

Environment America obtained the temperature data from the National Climatic Data Center, which is part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  The data was collected from “First Order” weather stations, which are staffed in whole or in part by National Weather Service personnel. 

Environment America warned that unchecked global warming would put much more at stake than the fortunes of cold weather football teams.  The world’s top climate scientists have made it clear that global warming is real and that human activity is responsible for most of the rise in temperatures since 1950.  And the first signs of global warming are already appearing in the United States and around the world—sea levels are rising, snowpack is declining, and storms are increasing in intensity. The group has long promoted science-based reductions in the pollution that causes global warming.

“The good news is that there’s still time for a second half comeback,” said Doug O’Malley, Field Director for Environment New Jersey.  “We have the technology at our fingertips to cut global warming pollution and create a clean energy future.  Our leaders in Washington must take aggressive action to put these global warming solutions to work.”   

The U.S. Senate could consider key global warming legislation this spring—the “Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007.”  Environment America has recognized the important efforts of the bill’s supporters, but also called for the bill to be strengthened in several key ways.  Specifically, the bill’s current pollution reduction targets fall short of what the science says is necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and gives away excessive subsidies to polluting industries.  Scientists have said that pollution reduction cuts of at least 15-20 percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050 are necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming.

Auten and O’Malley concluded by urging the Senate to strengthen the “Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007,” and by calling for support for the Global Warming Pollution Reduction Act in the Senate and the Safe Climate Act in the House—the only pieces of legislation in Congress that include the pollution reduction targets that scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming. 

 “Trying to solve global warming with measures that are less than what the science calls for is like the Giants trying to win Sunday with their bench players,” said Auten.  “It’s critical that Congress follows the science so that we have a fighting chance of tackling global warming.” 

*The 14 cold weather NFL teams included were the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers. 

Environment America—a federation of state environment groups—is the new home of U.S. PIRG’s environmental work. More information can be found at www.EnvironmentAmerica.org.