Climate Change in Massachusetts Impacting Fruit Crops and Sleep Quality

By Alexi Cohan

For about 12,000 years, Earth's climate didn't change. Now, climate change impacts our present and threatens our future.

That's according to Spencer Glendon, the founder of climate literacy initiative Probable Futures, who spoke to GBH's Greater Boston.

Glendon said here in Massachusetts and beyond, climate change is impacting sleep and fruit.

At night, humans need to cool down to sleep well, but nights are getting hot faster than days are, and we are experiencing more "tropical nights" above 68 degrees.

"It means that people aren't sleeping as well; it also means people are going to start demanding HVAC equipment to have air conditioning when they didn't used to," Glendon said, adding that hot weather is particularly tough on kids who need a good night's sleep before school.

When it comes to fruit here in the Bay State, Glendon noted that trees need a strong signal that winter has come and gone. This year, that signal was impacted by climate, and there were no stone fruit crops in Massachusetts.