How Record Heat Wreaked Havoc on Four Continents

I suspect that it is far too late to reverse climate change caused by mankind. Easy to predict are things like more wildfires, reducing crop yields, rising seas/flooding or shortage of drinking water. Then let us consider the effect over decades of these changes: migration of people because they can no longer survive where they are. It is likely to occur in many parts of the world, possibly including parts of the USA. Continued efforts to limit climate change need to be maintained but perhaps it is more important to undertake large scale planning to best deal with the big changes that are coming. This might already be happening but like the British government prior to WWII, nothing is being published in order to avoid panic.

Combating climate change is nothing short of war; the changes in the climate are attacking our planet and everything in it. We must immediately begin to treat it as a dire emergency of catastrophic proportions, or our societies will disintegrate, animals and plant life will die, and we'll all be gone soon. Unfortunately, those currently in power only care about accumulating wealth at the expense of Earth.

Throughout human history, we do not change until disaster hit. This time is different because we are flirting with nature. Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhole tossed a snow ball on the senate floor and argued that climate change is a "hoax ". This was in 2014. Where is his snow ball now ?

It was 110 in the shade here in Austin last week -- the hottest July day in the city's recorded history! We're used to the heat here, but c'mon, this is getting ridiculous.

The Republicans in Congress willfully deny science. Vote them out this November.

I would add to my earlier comment that articles like this will not convince skeptics. Anecdotal information isn't science. And a hastily thrown together paper based on a handful of data points claiming that the heat wave is in part due to climate change isn't convincing either.

At any time one can go to a city somewhere in the world-- and find a new record high temperature ---or low. And talk about cherry picking data. May and June may have been relatively warm but April was the 15th coolest in the US. Jan-Mar were close to average for the US. And while May was the warmest on record it was due to higher mins, not maxs. The highest US max temp for May was in 1934. The 2nd warmest June,1933. And here's a link to Climate at a Glance for max May temps. Anyone see a trend? Note that 3 of the years with the highest max temps for May were in the 1930s. https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/cag/national/time-series/110/tmax/1/5/1895-201... There have always been heat waves. To suggest this heat wave is due to climate change is way over the top. For the first six months of the year, 2018 is the 14th warmest on record, and some of the years that are ahead of it in the rankings are 1921, 1934, 1986 and 1987 -- and right behind 2018 is 1925. Hardly suggests 2018 is abnormal. And -- when you look at temps for cities -- you will almost always find their temps going up over time. But that isn't global warming. Most of our large cities in the US and the world have grown rapidly over the last 100 years, thus they suffer from the urban heat island effect. Phoenix (&metro) for example has undergone massive growth since the 1930s -- and temps have gone up at a rate 3x+ that of Arizona as a whole.

This is climate change in action. Good to remember it does not take science to document the real thing.

Unanswered questions: What is the correct temperature for the earth? How to enforce it, within what world political structure, at what cost, in what time-frame? Please, climate activists, give us the answers.

I object to the common wording used when discussing this tragedy. It is not "our failure". We who know the truth need to place the blame where it belongs because the vast majority of us are essentially powerless. The blame lies with corrupt politicians and their true constituents, the greedy wealthy pushers of consumption and consumerism. Could the powerless put an end to it by refusing to be manipulated? Maybe, but the odds are against it because the manipulators are too good at what they do.

July 1974 I celebrated my Southwest city's setting a record for number of consecutive days of 115 F or over. I was young, and the heat did not bother me then. In June 1990 my father was boarded for a flight out of town. It was cancelled when the temp reached 122 F and the take off chart only went up to 120 F. I think it was 1995, and I was preparing the car for a trip the Grand Canyon, North Rim. I remarked it was really hot in the garage. On the Ten O'Clock News they reported the high that day was 121 F. Yikes!

Blame Al Gore! For these temperatures, and for the wildfires! He said this would happen, years ago, in his movie An Inconvenient Truth. Dang science, Dang if he wasn’t onto something. All joking aside, I just arrived home from a steamy hot week in London. 95 degrees Fahrenheit outside? The amazing British Museum of Natural History was sweltering- no AC. Trains in the Underground were delayed. Free bottles of water were being handed out at tourist spots around the city. First World problem? Yes. Whole Planet problem? Yes indeed.

We call this summer in Phoenix. 110 is tough but manageable. I uber in anything past 115 because my black interior car will burn my skin and I will need oven gloves to drive. It becomes almost inhumane most employers here do not have covered parking. You get used to the heat. People whining in LA need to enjoy a nice 120 degrees where the entire city is on alert.

My children are in their 20s and don't want children. And quite frankly, I don't blame them. While the idea of being a grandparent has some emotional appeal, when I look at young children now, I feel sorry for them. They will face struggles that we can't even begin to imagine. Our abject failure in addressing the most urgent challenge to our survival is profoundly depressing.

California is on fire as are many other places around the world. Definitely fueled by climate disruption. We have run out of time for folks to indulge in fear, apathy or depression, especially if you have children or grandchildren. The UN has been meeting for 24 yrs with little result in stopping climate disruption. The fossil fuel industry's wealth & power is still influencing policy. We know that nonviolent people's movements have been effective in the USA. It's past time for millions of citizens to rise as one to demand real climate leadership. We need leaders who are committed to the tough choices that need to be made to keep fossil fuels in the ground and create an immediate just transition off of fossil fuels. No more wasting resources on fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure, or refinery expansions. No more fossil fuel subsidies. And, yes to job retraining into jobs that with the same pay and benefits, yes to a nation wide shift to renewables, yes to funding research and development of solutions and implementing those solutions. And, yes to rising with folks around the world on Sept 8th for RISE for Climate, Jobs & Justice - https://peoplesclimate.org/actions/sept-8/ There have been times in US history when citizens have come together to rise up against injustice and harms. This is one of those times and perhaps the most important.

C'mon, not too biased. Couldn't you find anyone that likes hot weather? Getting acclimated isn't that hard but it takes a little time. You'd at least think people in some places that'd been tortured with freezing temps for centuries would welcome a little warmth. And, places that are already a desert, does adding a few more degrees really make much difference? When you get to NYC, which had a day about 100 this month, I'll tell you I was out running for four hours that day just because of it.

Listen to the Koch brothers and their paid experts and deny climate change until we reach the point where it is undeniable, a time that is imminent. Sadly, human beings are far better adapted to addressing immediate threats than to ones slowly evolving over time. All thinking people who are interested in the survival of the planet need to immediately commit to lowering carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. With a worldwide commitment it could be accomplished. The time is now.

Planet Earth IS getting too hot, and it IS caused by humans burning fossil fuels. We've known this as Truth since the 1960's, but every year, things get continually worse, as Congress gets bought off, and Big Oil or Peabody Coal "needs another Study" to examine the data. Last Summer, in S.W.Oregon, it was way over 100 degrees, every day, for all of July and August. This year, we are having the same furnace-like heat. It is difficult on Livestock and the Trees, let alone Humans. We know that we humans are creating this heat wave. We know of other non-polluting, renewable ways to create Energy without burning Oil or Coal, yet their Lobbies keep the greenhouse gases coming. Maybe Urban people who live in air conditioning and think that Water just comes out of the tap aren't concerned. For people who work outdoors with Livestock and with Farming, it is becoming a real Hell. Add to that the many huge Wild Fires in S.W.Oregon, and the situation is beyond rough. The air quality is so bad, you can't see the trees across the road. We could be breathing bad air in 112 degrees for months. The current Fires are so large, it could take Winter's rains to put them out (if we even get decent rain this Winter). We know the cause of the problem. We know how to fix it; with Solar, Wind-Power, and Bio-diesel, but very little has been done. And the furnace like heat rolls on. In this troubled World, the first people that I would "give a raise" to would be our Firefighters.

And AGW (anthropogenic global warming) is only one of the three world-changing challenges humanity will face over the next 50-100 years. The other two are the depletion of fresh water, both surface water and aquifers, and the depletion of global oil reserves. While the latter will help the AGW problem, it will throw the global economy into a tail spin. The world runs on oil, period. Jets won't fly, transportation of food and other basics will come to a halt (trains, semi-trucks, and ocean freighters all run on diesel), the huge plastics industry will cease. Known oil reserves are projected to be gone in 50 years, but the effects will be felt probably in 35-40 years. That is less than the projected time scale for AGW to be a serious, global problem. The reality is, humanity has pretty much boxed itself into a precarious situation. We have grown our population to unsustainable numbers with no end in sight. We consume resources such as oil and water at rates that have harmed our environment. We consume fresh water at rates that far exceed the replenishment rate. I have no idea what will happen and I probably won't be around to see it, but the future of humanity is not looking very rosy to me. Perhaps this will be an event that forces an evolutionary change to our species, resulting in a new species that is kinder and gentler to the Earth environment.

Planet Earth has a fever.

IN THE PHILLY AREA Where I live, we've been most fortunate to have moderate temperatures this summer with abundant rain. Usually our summers are both scorching from the heat and suffocating from the humidity. We've had droughts and dangerous heat waves in the past. And I'm certain that our future holds much of the same. When I drive through areas where people don't have air conditioning, I see the suffering. The fire hydrants are turned on so that the kids mostly can keep cool. But they have to go into their overheated homes to try to sleep. We can still make a difference by setting the US on the ethical and moral path toward a green, sustainable future. Trump's propping up of coal misses the point, since the Coal Museum in Kentucky is powered by solar panels on its roof. The French got it right when they sent tiny pieces of coal in a regional newspaper, on the day that their last coal mine closed. All other forms of energy are cheaper and less polluting that coal. But Trump never troubles himself to be distracted by the facts. He tries to get us to buy his lies by talking about fake news. Well if you want to be 100% sure to read fake news, just read what Trump tells you to read! Never in my life did I imagine that I would live to see the day that such a monster would be president of the US. Trump abuses friends of the US and kisses up to dictators and tyrants. He lines the pockets of the 1% with tax cuts paid for by the 99%. Trump is a slave driver. A DEVIL!

For the benefit of your international readers, please add the celcius value to any (confusing and obsolete) fahrenheit value. Merci!

It’s just a number......until you’re actually in the zone! I once visited Phoenix in July — 113F. Unbelievable. Then I visited the Negev Desert of Israel — 117F. Simply unfit for humans. I’m terrified for my children and grandchildren.

Let's see, the President of the United States repudiates the Paris Agreement on climate change and the while Brits suffer through an epic heat wave they, the Brits honor Trump with an audience with Queen Elizabeth. I'm confused. He should be on trial in the Hague for crimes against humanity.

A little math, Celsius makes it so clear, but it works exactly the same in F, just a different scale. Human's are water based and warm blooded. We can't veer much from our body temp. 37 degrees C. Humans, both Conservatives and Liberals, are very temperature sensitive. Water freezes below 0 degree C , 50 degrees C is 13 degrees above body temperature. 50 degrees (122 F) is also halfway to boiling water. So roughly, minus 10 degrees C to 50 degrees C. That's about our livable temperature range as either conservative Republicans or liberal Democrats. We can extend that range with a space type suit with cooling and/or heating and insulation. but unless we dome the planet in areas, there goes the outside. Or spend all our time inside a temperature controlled environment which many humans already do. And that's where we're heading. We are busy creating an unsurvivable planet to survive on. This is still the first planet we will have to save ourselves from and it looks like we've blow past all the warning signs and Mother Earth is coming in for the kill. "Faith alone won't save us anymore". Bad Religion 1990. I have see this coming for a long time and this is all old news and it should be obvious now to enough people we listened to the wrong people who said it would be fine and scientists don't know anything. Bernie Sanders is batting 1000 though. Time to make a U turn. If we want to live.

This is just the beginning. I try not to contemplate the future, even that just twenty years from now, for it is too frightening. Before reflexively blaming Trump, ask yourself, have you done all you can do? Given up air travel, meat, and children? Or do you expect technology to save you from any meaningful sacrifice?

"Is it because of climate change?" To ask this question is rapidly becoming as absurd as "Is the Pope Catholic?" "Do bears, um, breathe in the forest?" "Is grass green?" or "Do most birds fly?"

Oh but there's no global warming, just a big Chinese conspiracy. We will hold the Republican Criminal Organization completely responsible for obstructing, thwarting, and subverting any measures to ameliorate, combat or mitigate global warming. I hope red states boil in hell for supporting and sending Republican criminals to Congress. November 6, 2018. The Reckonmg for Republican liars, criminals and traitors. Vote!

How dare you assign rabbit as a "disaster" food. It has been eaten for centuries, is tender and tasty. In fact it is a disgrace that no one seems to serve it due to sensibilities not gastronomy.

I am a firm believer in climate change and global warming. However I think we need to consider that it may not be universal or constant. I live in Marrakech Morocco where between mid-June and mid-September temperatures between 105° and 115°F are the daytime norms with the occasional 120°. This year is different. It has yet to reach 105° this year or if it did only briefly. I have used my a/c only briefly on a few days. My electricity bills for June and July are a third of normal.

As you cover climate change, be sure to include climate change heroes. People who are making a difference developing innovative solutions to both reduce CO2 emissions and to mitigate the consequences. Studies show that people are motivated by stories of heroism and we need to get motivated and excited about tackling this huge problem. We solve climate change not because it is easy, but because it is hard. This is the attitude that got us to the moon under John Kennedy.

In the interest of fair and balanced reporting you should have talked to both winners and losers. In countries formerly too cold to grow food , people now can. "In Canada, climate change could open new farmland to the plow" https://globalnews.ca/news/3765838/canada-climate-change-farmland/ Climate change was first investigated by Svente Arrhenius, who calculated in 1896 the effect of CO2 on climate. His result was within a factor 2 of modern science, but to his disappointment too small to perceptibly increase the length of the growing season of Sweden

The real tragedy is the lost opportunity that the USA had to lead the world out of this disaster. We are the major contributors to this problem. We also had the money, power and scientific talent to solve it. We could have led the world to a better place as we did in Europe after WWII. Even now, as we watch this disaster unfold before our eyes, we actually enact polices to make this problem worse! I truly do not think we are intelligent animals. I am deeply saddened by this conclusion.

Terrifying.

Phoenix was over 120 ... I don't think the human race can survive if it's that hot all over for long periods of time.

David Brooks suggests that we will be spared from national collapse because great examples of local good works will overwhelm the Trumpian attacks against social institutions. I believe by looking at the Trumpian attacks against the environment and the scientific proofs of global warming we can see that local action on major issues is not enough. The forests of the Great American West are dying, and as Trump’s EPA rolls back mileage and emission standards Americans continue to buy larger vehicles requiring more and more oil and causing more CO2 production. Riding Motorcycle Through The Little Belt (A mountain range in Montana) Winding through the Little Belt I saw death today. The few green sentries standing tall Their comrades ashen gray. The smoke and ash from wilderness, It's very soul in flame, Settles in the Little Belt, and Whispers, "Soon the Same." Soon, what wretched beetle spares, The few that stand about, Will burst in flame - a tinder box Dried through and through from drought. Winding through the Little Belt I saw death today. The dying gravely stood their ground The dead around them lay. And what of me? A simple man, But witness to this doom. Am but a fleeting traveler Quick through this future tomb. Might I and all my brethren Be the cause of all I see? No! A vengeful God and nature bear Responsibility. Winding through the Little Belt I saw death today. And I as with the dying Shall not pass again this way.

Why, why, why does the story about heat in LA have to be about an artist's dinner party? Surely you could have found some people having to work in this heat that seems to be everywhere. You could start with the firefighters.

All this, and the U.S. is governed by a political party dominated by so-called climate skeptics and fossil fuel industry magnates. Good grief!

This makes for a sobering companion piece to The Guardian's article on the $billions in subsidies we're giving to the fossil fuel industry: "$14.7bn per year to the oil, gas, and coal industries, on top of $5.8bn of state-level incentives (globally, the figure is around $500bn)." https://www.theguardian.com/environment/climate-consensus-97-per-cent/20.... Why are we spending money to destroy ourselves? How high do temperatures have to rise before we change course?

Thank you for this vivid illustration of the early consequences of our tepid reaction to climate disruption. We have been warned. I think that the single most important thing for each of us in the USA to do at this time is to constantly ask each every 2018 candidate about their plans to address the climate emergency. It's important to specify that we want to know plans not only for adaptation to climate change (Republicans like to focus on this part when talking about climate solutions) but reduction in ongoing greenhouse gas pollution, so that the problem doesn't get even worse. I believe that personal actions to reduce carbon pollution are also important in that these efforts, if visible, change the tone in society around conservation. Conservation is patriotic and moral! We must break the climate silence logjam through our deeds and words. I can't stop thinking of the man who pulled his gas guzzler int the clearly marked EV charging spot next to my friend's plugged-in car, and left it running while he went inside, giving us a huge smirk upon leaving. This is the attitude of the "Ugly American".

The article disregards a major factor in human heat related illness; humidity. In my area, 2 degrees below the Canadian Border, it is forecast to be 103F with a relative humidity of 24%. This is survivable provided the residents have functioning sweat glands and access to water. In contrast, a day long exposure to 98F and 100% humidity is universally fatal. The victims die from overheating, not dehydration. Although humidity is routinely measured and is a major factor in heat related deaths, it is almost never provided in reports of heat related deaths. This leads to a second point, the planets excess heat does not just warm oxygen, nitrogen and carbon dioxide, it evaporates water. In real terms, the 51inches/24hour of rainfall that fell last year in South Texas had to first evaporate.

When we discuss where we would like to retire, economic and climate change conditions are top concerns. We have seen our area ravaged by fires, and that isn't going to change.