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Texas Matters: Killer Heat Waves, Sea Level Rise And Climate Food Choices

July 2019 isn't over yet and it's on track to deliver the hottest temperatures ever recorded since the dawn of weather tracking.  It's beating the previous record month which was June 2019. 

Global warming is now an unimpeachable fact. However, some like President Donald Trump still deny that it is real. Trump calls it a hoax. It is not.

And in Texas the forecast is for hotter days and more of them. 

A recent study published in the journal "Environmental Research Communications" shows that the heating trend will continue due to man-made climate change.

Kristy Dahl is a member of the Union of Concerned Scientists and is a co-author of the report: "Killer Heat in the United States: The Future of Dangerously Hot Days."

Sea Level Rise

Galveston, Texas, has seen the sea level rise by 18 inches since 1950. And the rate of the rise is increasing. It's now rising by nearly 1 inch every year. 

The sea level increase is eroding beaches, destroying wetlands and sending tide waters into communities and cities on the coast. To hold back the sea, the United States is going to be required to spend upward of $1 trillion to construct a system of dikes, sea walls and coastal restoration. 

A study by the Center for Environmental Integrity points out that the costs are going up to wall off water. 

Richard Wiles is the executive director of The Center for Environmental Integrity. 

Climate Change Food

There is a big difference between a hamburger and a peanut butter sandwich when it comes to climate impact. 

Food choices can have a significant effect on the reduction of climate changing emissions.

Chis Warton is an author of the study "Integrating Protein Quality and Quantity With Environmental Impacts in Life Cycle Assessment" which was recently published in the journal "Sustainability."

David Martin Davies can be reached at dmdavies@tpr.org and on Twitter at @DavidMartinDavi