Page 28 - aruba-today-20190423

A28 SCIENCE
Tuesday 23 april 2019
Americans' energy use surges despite climate change concern

By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and Renewable energy con-
SETH BORENSTEIN sumption also hit a record
Associated Press high, led by a 22% jump in
WASHINGTON (AP) — the use of solar power, the
Americans burned a re- agency said.
cord amount of energy in Chris Field, a climate scien-
2018, with a 10% jump in tist and director of the Stan-
consumption from boom- ford Woods Institute for the
ing natural gas helping to Environment, says the EIA's
lead the way, the U.S. En- breakdown of last year's
ergy Information Adminis- energy use shows the U.S.
tration says. has abundant fuel — but
Overall consumption of all lacks the kind of policy le-
kinds of fuels rose 4% year vers that would make sure
on year, the largest such it's clean renewable fuels
increase in eight years, a that Americans burn as en-
report this week from the ergy demand rises.
agency said. Fossil fuels in "Renewables are increas-
all accounted for 80% of ingly rapidly, but not as rap-
Americans' energy use. idly as necessary to drive
That's despite increasingly down total emissions," Field
urgent warnings from sci- said. Coal consumption fell
entists that humans are run- In this Wednesday Jan. 30, 2019, file photo smoke rises from the chimneys of homes in St. Paul, for a fifth straight year na-
ning out of time to stave Minn. tionally, flailing in market
off the harshest effects of Associated Press competition against natu-
climate change by cutting ral gas and renewables de-
greenhouse gas emissions Last month was the second 3.7 degrees warmer than 2018 weather led Ameri- spite pledges from Donald
from consuming coal, oil hottest March globally on the previous record set in cans to turn on their fur- Trump, as a candidate and
and natural gas. record with an average 1965. naces and air conditioners then as president, to bring
A 2018 National Climate temperature of 56.8 (13.8 "Globally, the long-term more often. With the U.S. back the coal industry and
Assessment involving sci- degrees Celsius), nearly 2 pattern, of which March shale oil and gas boom coal jobs.
entists from 13 government degrees warmer than the 2019 is an exclamation helping make natural gas The Trump administration
agencies and outside ex- 20th century average, be- point ... is almost entirely re- increasingly affordable, has played down the peril
perts warned that climate hind only March 2016, ac- lated to increased green- and with more power from climate change. En-
change already "presents cording to the National house gases," said Deke plants running on natural vironmental Protection
growing challenges to hu- Oceanic and Atmospheric Arndt, climate monitoring gas, natural gas consump- Agency chief Andrew
man health and quality of Administration. chief for NOAA's National tion by the national electri- Wheeler said last month
life, the economy, and the Alaska had its warmest Center for Environmental cal grid rose 15% from 2017, that "most of the threats
natural systems that sup- March by far, nearly 16 de- Information. the energy information from climate change are
port us." grees above normal and This week's report says the agency said. 50 to 75 years out."q

Two-wave U.S. flu season is

now the longest in a decade

NEW YORK (AP) — Three "I don't remember a sea- beginning, most illnesses
months ago, this flu sea- son like this," said Dr. Ar- were caused by a flu strain
son was shaping up to be nold Monto, a University of that tends not to cause as
short and mild in the U.S. Michigan researcher who many hospitalizations and
But a surprising second viral had been studying respira- which is more easily con-
wave has made it the lon- tory illnesses for more than trolled by vaccines.
gest in 10 years. 50 years. But in mid-February, a nas-
This flu season has been of- The previous longest recent tier strain started causing
ficially going for 21 weeks, flu season was 20 weeks, more illnesses and driving
according to reports col- which occurred in 2014- up hospitalizations.
This 2011 electron microscope image provided by the Centers lected through last week 2015. Not helping matters: The
for Disease Control and Prevention shows H3N2 influenza virions. and released Friday by the Flu can cause a miser- harsher bug is not well
Associated Press Centers for Disease Con- able, relatively mild illness matched to the vaccine,
trol and Prevention. That in many people and a said the CDC's Lynnette
makes it among the lon- more severe illness in oth- Brammer, who oversees flu
gest seen since the govern- ers. Young children and the tracking.
ment started tracking flu elderly are at greatest risk Still, this flu season is not
season duration more than from flu and its complica- nearly as bad as last win-
20 years ago. tions. Flu vaccinations are ter's 19-week season, the
Some experts likened the recommended annually deadliest in at least four
unusual double waves to for all but the very young. decades. An estimated
having two different flu sea- The current season began 80,000 Americans died of
sons compressed, back-to- the week of Thanksgiving, flu and its complications
back, into one. a typical start time. At the last season.q