Climate change has attacked the environment on a global scale, but even Neshaminy High School’s home state of Pennsylvania is facing its brutal effects. The Neshaminy community could expect to see a surge in heat waves, flooding, and storms in the coming years.
Neshaminy has already been affected directly by one of global warming’s greatest dangers – hurricanes. On September 2, 2021, Neshaminy students received an email stating that their long awaited first day of school was being delayed due to severe flooding from Hurricane Ida. Students entered into their first day of school baffled, describing the damage that their homes faced from the flooding.
Just this past August, Hurricane Ian caused five to seven inches of rain throughout Pennsylvania, flooding the streets and homes of the Langhorne, Levittown and Feasterville areas.
On the other side of the extremities, Pennsylvania residents will continue to battle heat waves during the summer.
According to Risk Factor – an online database founded by scientists – Bucks County, in itself, is expected to have 43 days that exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and seven days that include “feels-like” temperatures over 101 degrees Fahrenheit this coming summer of 2023.
These high temperatures can be physically hazardous to many, including those already vulnerable to illness, those completing vigorous work outdoors, like Neshaminy athletes, and those who cannot afford to cool their homes, especially among this global cost of living crisis.
Neshaminy students may even find themselves struggling with the dangers of these high temperatures during the fall and spring sports seasons as the temperatures continue to rise well into the other seasons.
Olivia Hughes, Neshaminy softball player, has experienced the dangers of intense heat while on the field.
“When I was playing in July at nationals, I ended up having symptoms of a heat stroke,” Hughes recalled. “I was sweating a lot and my vision was getting blurry. I was panting and I wasn’t able to continue playing because of the heat.”
Our neighboring city, Philadelphia, is the 17th fastest warming city in the United States.
Overall, this causes great worry for all Pennsylvania residents along with climate change experts.
“[Increasing temperatures] definitely [have] been getting worse over the years,” Hughes expressed. “It’s begun to affect me more.”