By Brittany Baker
“It’s not the heat, it’s the humidity.”
How many times have we heard someone use that phrase to explain the sticky discomfort of a brutal summer day? How many times have we made that observation ourselves?
While we sweated through one of the hottest AND one of the most humid summers in Maryland history, that adage seems almost quaint. It’s clearly the heat AND the humidity. And as our planet continues to warm from the alarming march of climate change, it’s also clear we have a lot more work to do, here in Maryland, to prevent the heat and humidity from becoming even more unbearable–and deadly–in the future.
Researchers say temperature by itself is not the best way to measure climate change’s impacts. Factoring in air moisture along with heat shows that climate change since 1980 is nearly twice as bad as previously calculated, according to a 2022 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Experts warn that humidity is climbing to levels that make normal cooling impossible. When air holds too much moisture, sweat doesn’t evaporate. The body keeps the heat inside, which quickly becomes dangerous. High humidity levels can also affect respiratory health because they accelerate the spread of bacteria, fungi, and dust mites. High humidity keeps heat trapped at night, making it harder for us–and the atmosphere–to cool off. Beyond our individual discomfort, there are other consequences: A warmer atmosphere holds more water. That means heavier rains, stronger storms, and, in a vicious circle, more humid days.
What should Maryland’s response be? At a bare minimum, we need a more aggressive approach to confronting climate change. Maryland’s policies must match the rhetoric of its leaders, who vow to fight to save the planet but don’t always follow through with adequate, aggressive action.
Why hasn’t Maryland joined 10 other states that recently sued to preserve their right to impose stronger clean car standards than the federal government allows? Why don’t we have a way to figure out how much climate damage is costing Marylanders now or will cost in the future? When will leaders put forward a serious proposal to fund the state’s billion-dollar-per-year climate plan?
Marylanders resolute, politically bold action. This has been one of the hottest summers in Maryland history–and the summer isn’t even over yet. In the Washington, D.C. metro area, the startling fact is that this is the most humid summer in at least 92 years. A persistent high-pressure system parked over the eastern U.S. for much of the summer, trapping heat and moisture. In addition, southerly breezes brought hot and sticky air into the region from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic.
There’s a certain romance to humidity. Think of torrid dime store novels, the thick and moody ambiance of movies and music videos set in tropical locations. We travel to exotic tropical climates to revel in the sultry air.
But Maryland is not the tropics. We should not, on a consistent basis, be experiencing tropical weather.
Through mid-August, the state reported, Maryland saw 30 heat-related deaths, the second-highest number in modern history (the greatest number came in 2012, when severe storms knocked out power in parts of the state for several days). Emergency room trips due to heat-related illness in our state hit an all-time high in July. Maryland also recorded the highest number of flash flood warnings since 2020.
On top of this harsh reality, the Trump administration is decimating regulations meant to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminating funding for clean energy, and turning disaster relief into a partisan gamble where aid depends on the President’s latest whim. Maryland leaders need to be at the forefront of the opposition. Maryland leaders are starting to put on their boxing gloves when it comes to defending constituents against the federal administration’s attacks. As we knuckle up, remember that Marylanders also deserve a serious and sustained fight to meet the dramatic and unsparing challenge of climate change.
The opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the writer and not necessarily those of the AFRO.