Rising Temperatures Could Lessen Home Field Advantage Over Warm Weather
Rivals
Green Bay, WI—As Wisconsinites gear up for next season, Wisconsin
Environment today highlighted how global warming could affect the future
success of the Packers. Specifically,
the group pointed to the threat of rising winter temperatures lessening the
cold weather that has historically given the Packers an edge over warm weather
rivals.
While numerous studies have
documented the many serious ways in which global warming could harm Wisconsin’s
environment, economy and quality of life, from more severe heat waves to the
spread of infectious diseases, today’s event was intended to show how even the
game of football could be altered.
“As if we needed another
reason to tackle global warming, now even the Green Bay Packers could be affected,”
said LuCinda Hohmann, Field Organizer with Wisconsin Environment. “Congress and the state legislature must get
serious about global warming before rising temperatures fumble away the Packers
home field advantage.”
National trends from recent
seasons suggest that a home field advantage for cold weather teams over their
warm weather rivals may truly exist. Wisconsin
Environment pointed to the National Football League’s 14 cold weather teams
having won 65 percent of their home games played after Halloween against warm
weather teams from 1998 through 2005.
Unfortunately for Packer fans,
winter temperatures are on the rise at Lambeau and in other cold weather teams’
cities across the country, potentially threatening the home field advantage
that these teams have historically enjoyed.
Wisconsin Environment compared the average temperatures in 14 cold
weather teams’ cities* for the last seven football seasons to the average
temperatures measured in those cities from 1971-2000. In just the last seven years, the cities’ average
temperatures from November through January have risen significantly.
Specifically, Wisconsin
Environment’s analysis found that:
·
All 14
cold-weather teams’ cities saw an increase in winter temperatures from
2000-2007 as compared to the previous thirty years.
·
The Green Bay
Packers had the largest temperature increase during the last seven seasons, a 4.1
degrees Fahrenheit increase as compared to the previous thirty years. This is
significant in comparison to the next highest temperature rise of only 2.9
degrees.
Wisconsin Environment obtained
the temperature data from the National
Climatic Data
Center, which is part of
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The data was collected from “First Order”
weather stations, which are staffed in whole or in part by National Weather
Service personnel.
Wisconsin Environment was
careful to note that unchecked global warming would put much more at stake than
the fortunes of the Green Bay Packers. The
world’s top climate scientists have made it clear that global warming is real
and that human activity is responsible for most of the rise in temperatures
since 1950. And the first signs of
global warming are already appearing in the United States and around the
world—sea levels are rising, snowpack is declining, and storms are increasing
in intensity. But Hohmann also made it clear that it’s not too late.
“The good news is that
there’s still time for a second half comeback,” said Hohmann. “We have the technology at our fingertips to cut
global warming pollution and create a clean energy future. Our leaders in Madison and DC must take
aggressive action to put these global warming solutions to work.”
At the state level, Wisconsin
Environment called on the legislature to adopt the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act
(SB81/AB157), which would reduce global warming emissions to 1990 levels by
2020, and help promote increased renewable energy and efficiency measures. Several other states including Minnesota,
California, New Jersey and Hawaii have adopted similar legislation. Hohman
thanked Senator Mark Miller for his leadership passing the bill out of the
Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. She called on the senate
leadership to hold a floor vote, and called on Representative Scott Gunderson
to schedule a committee vote in the Assembly.
Federally, the U.S. Senate
could consider key global warming legislation this spring—the “Lieberman-Warner
Climate Security Act of 2007.” Hohmann,
while recognizing the important efforts of the bill’s supporters, said that the
bill needs to be strengthened in several key ways. Specifically, Hohmann noted that the bill’s
current pollution reduction targets fall short of what the science says is
necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming, and gives away excessive
subsidies to polluting industries.
Scientists have said that pollution reduction cuts of at least 15-20
percent by 2020 and at least 80 percent by 2050 are necessary to avoid the
worst effects of global warming.
“Trying to solve global
warming with bills that are less than what the science calls for is like the
Giants or the Patriots trying to win the Super Bowl Sunday with their bench
players,” said Hohmann. “It’s critical
that our legislators in both Madison and DC follow the science so that we have a
fighting chance of tackling global warming.”
Hohmann concluded by thanking
Congressman Steve Kagen for cosponsoring the U.S. House Safe Climate Act and
Senator Feingold for cosponsoring the U.S. Senate version - the only
legislation in Congress that includes the pollution reduction targets that
scientists say are necessary to avoid the worst effects of global warming. The group also urged Congressman Kagen and
U.S. Senator Feingold to continue to speak out in favor of strengthening the
“Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act of 2007.”
*The 14 cold weather NFL
teams included were the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, New
England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets, New York
Giants, Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh
Steelers, Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers.
###
Wisconsin Environment
is a statewide, citizen-based environmental advocacy organization.
Factsheet---global-warming-and-football.pdf