Birkel quoted in BDN opinion piece on heat waves, climate change
A Bangor Daily News opinion piece on heat waves quoted Sean Birkel, a research professor at the University of Maine Climate Change Institute and the Maine state climatologist. Heat waves across the globe have become the new normal. Half of the warmest years on record have occurred in Caribou since 2000 and in Portland since 2010, the article states. Melting sea ice in the Arctic has contributed to an increase in overnight temperatures, especially during summer and fall, with fall having the highest average temperature increases, Birkel said. Increased temperatures mean more ticks are surviving the winter, contributing to an increase in Lyme disease incidence, among other issues. The piece called for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, from the individual to the federal level, to combat climate change.