Climate Change Is Not Causing New England’s ‘Creepy’ Bacteria and Bugs, Boston Globe
4 hours ago Anthony Watts
The Boston Globe posted an article titled “Climate change is bringing creepy — and dangerous — bacteria, bugs, and viruses to New England,” claiming that global warming is “fueling an increase in bacteria and disease” in New England. The headline and the attached story are highly misleading. For things like mosquito-borne illness, mosquitos carrying diseases previously thrived even in New England in previous centuries, with 20th century human intervention wiping them out, not temperature changes. Also, bacteria in waterways are a seasonal phenomenon which has always existed.
The Globe writes that warming temperatures and heavier rainfall in New England are leading to “a hospitable environment across the region for waterborne bacteria, bugs that can transmit life-threatening viruses, and invasive species that threaten to destabilize ecosystems.”
The first focus of the article is on bacterial blooms in water. While it is true that bacteria grows better in warmer waters, this does not seem to be what is driving the proliferation of cyanobacteria in New England waters, but rather major problems with older sewer systems. The Boston Globe links to an article discussing this issue, which does make some gesture towards warming, but the main thrust of the focus is on sewage pollution. The Globe says that sewers and storm water drainage is the usual culprit for bacteria making beaches unsafe, explaining that “while newer systems separate sewage and storm water, some older cities still have so-called combined sewer overflows, which transport both of these flows in the same pipes.”
https://wattsupwiththat.com/2025/09/25/climate-change-is-not-causing-new-englands-creepy-bacteria-and-bugs-boston-globe/
