For millions of Americans, climate change is making the weather nicer. That’s the conclusion of a new study that points out winters are getting quite a bit milder, while summers aren’t getting that much worse.
The study’s authors say the mild temperatures might be one reason some people aren’t so worried about climate change.
For most of the U.S., the hottest temperatures in July haven’t gone up much — scientific consensus is about half a degree over the past 40 years. Same for sticky humidity — not much change, if any.
But January’s highest temperatures have warmed up on average more than 4 degrees. Patrick Egan at New York University says for lots of people, that means weather many people view as “pleasant.”
I live here in New York City, and you’ve got shirtless beach volleyball games taking place on Christmas Eve in Central Park,” Egan says. “And on Christmas Day we had a cookout. We were all wearing shorts, and … it was bizarre and it was unusual. It was no Currier & Ives Christmas, but it was also pleasant.”