Since the inaugural Earth Day in April of 1970, the United States, Texas, and San Antonio have all warmed - meaning that these locations have all seen an increase in their average annual temperature from the year 1970 to the year 2021. This is according to a recent report from Climate Central, “an independent organization of leading scientists and journalists researching and reporting the facts about our changing climate and its impact on the public.”
According to the scientific data released, the United States as a whole has warmed 2.6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970. However, some individual states have warmed more than that. The state that has seen the most warming since 1970 is Alaska with a temperature increase of 4.3 degrees Fahrenheit.
Climate Central also reports that the state of Texas has warmed 2.8 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970, while the city of San Antonio has warmed 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit. Again, this means that San Antonio’s average annual temperature has increased 3.1 degrees Fahrenheit since the year 1970.
Warming of this magnitude - on both a local and national scale - is due to an increase in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases due to emissions caused by humans. Scientists agree that the current rate of warming will cause increased frequency of extreme weather across the globe as soon as the year 2040 - including wildfires, flooding, sea level rise, and drought.
- Find more coverage like this on our Climate page: KSAT.com/Climate
- Download the KSAT Weather App for alerts, personalized forecasts, and severe weather coverage