CHARLOTTE, N.C. — As we celebrate Earth Day 2023, a climatologist at NC State University says we can see the impacts of climate change all around us.
"We can break it down into just three easy things: hotter, wetter and more humid," Kathie Dello said.
Dello is also the director of the NC State Climate Office.
"We're seeing more extreme heat, especially at nighttime across the Carolinas. We're seeing more intense rainfall. So those days with three, four or five inches of rain are increasing. We're seeing sea level rise on our coasts, so flooding on our coastline. And also it's more humid. So those hot days just feel that much hotter," Dello said.
As part of her job, Dello tracks the impact of climate change. She's hopeful more people will share her concern as those impacts hit closer to home.
"I'm optimistic that people protect what they love. And we love North Carolina for a number of reasons. We have this really beautiful coastline and the Outer Banks. We have the mountains, and we have the cities that we like living in," she said.
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