Judge's Special Recognition
Mario Tama
Getty Images
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"2012 CLIMATE CHANGE: A NEW NORMAL IN AMERICA?"
2012 may come to be known as the tipping point in climate change in the United States. Extreme weather included the hottest year on record and Superstorm Sandy, which caused up to $80 billion in damages to the East Coast. Global warming is already having a major impact American life, a newly released report (January, 2013) by US government scientists warns. The draft version of the US National Climate Assessment reveals that increasing storm surges, floods, and intensifying heat waves and droughts are now having a profound effect on the lives of Americans. Scientists generally agree that climate change is playing a role in the these events. In the U.S., some fear that a new normal may have arrived in 2012. Sandy wreaked havoc to many beaches which ironically were used by hordes of people earlier in the summer to escape the heat waves. In addition, Hurricane Isaac wrought havoc in South Louisiana on the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Following Sandy, US politicians finally began to say what scientists have been urging for years. that climate change is happening now and we need to prepare for the worst.
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LONG BRANCH, NJ - OCTOBER 31: Rubble from Superstorm Sandy remains by homes at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean on October 31, 2012 in Long Branch, New Jersey. At least 50 people were reportedly killed in the U.S. by Sandy with New Jersey suffering massive damage and power outages.
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