Steamy Summer

It’s no surprise that temperatures rise in summertime. Right? Globally speaking, July is the hottest month in the year, based on global average temperatures. In the northern hemisphere, it’s a given that outdoor temps will soar in July.

But this year, July shattered expectations across the board.

According to the Smithsonian, more than 1,000 high-temp records in the U.S. alone have fallen to this year’s new highs. Other cities around the world have also documented high June and July temps beyond those ever recorded since we began keeping track, back in the 1940s. There is even evidence gathered from natural climate records, like ice cores and tree rings, to suggest that our planet has not been this hot in 120,000 years.

History of Hot

Earth has undergone periodic temperature extremes throughout its history. Discounting its very early millennia following formation, there have been ice ages so cold that ice sheets spread nearly to the equator, and hot periods with temperatures far higher than what we’ve ever seen. But the four hottest took place long before humans came on the scene. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the period since the development of modern human civilization has generally been relatively stable (globally speaking) as far as climate and temperatures.

Exacerbation

But with the constantly increasing greenhouse gases from human activities since the mid-20^th century warming our climate, we are changing that stability in significant and alarming ways. The burning of fossil fuels, which increases greenhouse gasses, is especially problematic. Those heat-trapping emissions (tracked by parts-per-million) have been increasing in our atmosphere for the past 150 years, and will persist in the atmosphere for hundreds or even thousands of years, meaning our planet’s warming trend hasn’t even peaked yet.

Of course, natural cycles and systems increase temperatures, as well. The El Niño-Southern Oscillation phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean, which is known to affect global temperatures, pushed the already high temps up even further as it stormed in on the tail of the usually cooler three-year El Niña cycle back in June of this year. Unfortunately, the onslaught of El Niño likely means even higher temperatures are on the way, probably through the rest of this year. It will also mean more temperature increases next year as global temperatures surge after its passage.

But it is worth noting that this is not our first experience with El Niño. It is, however, the first time on record (as noted above) that temperatures—even given the effects of El Niño—have risen this high. Even countries that should be in the depths of winter right now are experiencing extreme heatwaves. Chile climbed to 101.7 degrees (38.7 Celsius) in early August; some areas reached 40-45 degrees above normal that same afternoon. Even if cooling weather does finally arrive, experts expect the way-above-average temperatures in that region to persist.

That’s on us.

How do we know it’s our fault? Scientists believe humans are behind the warming trend based on three pieces of evidence. First, the warming we’ve seen over the past century is eight times faster than historical records of ice-age-recovery warming on average. Second, after over a century of tracking data on natural factors that affect climate—variations in the sun’s brightness, volcanic eruptions, El Niño, etc.—none of the data ever showed long-term changes that could fully account for the rapid warming we’ve recently seen in global temperatures. And third, based on paleoclimate date, levels of carbon dioxide—a major greenhouse gas released by burning fossil fuels—in our atmosphere now are higher than they have been in 800,000 years.

What It Means

Obviously, extended periods of high heat (and the humidity that accompanies it) pose health risks for the vulnerable among us, especially young children and the elderly. But it also worsens air and water quality, exacerbates the spread of some diseases, and increases the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events (droughts, floods, storms, heatwaves, etc.). Add to that the rising sea levels as polar ice melts, changes in rainfall, and the changes these things will initiate in regional ecosystems, and we alter the geographical ranges for plants and animals and therefore affect the food and supply chain.

To add even more weight to this concern, the 2021 Global Carbon Budget report, compiled with input from dozens of researchers around the world, stated that the current (at that time) rate of greenhouse gas pollution is so high that “Earth has about 11 years to rein in emissions” in order to avoid the worst of the ramifications in future decades. So it’s clear we need to do something.

What Can We Do?

Even if we stopped all emissions of heat-trapping gasses today, the global temperatures would continue to rise for several decades before natural processes would begin to remove the excess carbon dioxide and eventually stabilize the cycle. Stopping cold turkey isn’t an option. Shifting to more sustainable, green energy production would be a great start, but even that isn’t likely to happen overnight. Unfortunately, the longer it takes us to make that shift, the more serious and widespread the negative impacts of a warming world will be. So even though the big, global changes need to happen soon, every little thing we can do now will help in the long run.

And there are a lot of little things we can do now, many of which I’ve mentioned here before: recycle, compost, or buy organic foods and materials; share travel wherever possible, take public transport options, walk or ride a bike; go solar or, if you can, switch to wind or hydroelectric power; buy energy-saving devices; minimize your waste; avoid buying products with excess packaging, which will go into landfills; plant trees; use clean or renewable fuels; buy environment-friendly devices; and so many other simple things! Check here for more ways to conserve. Or check out this site, where you can take a brief quiz and find out just what your own climate footprint is, and how you can make it smaller. (Mine was 14,936 lbs per year.)

For more info:

33 Easy Steps to Stop Global Warming

Can We Slow or Even Reverse Global Warming?

Climate Change: Global Temperature

Climate Q&A

Earth Has 11 Years to Cut Emissions

From Japan to Louisiana to Rome, Here are Ten Heat Records Earth Has Broken Since June

Heat Records Are Broken Around the Globe as Earth Warms, Fast

Impacts of Climate Change

Is the Climate Warming?

It’s Mid-Winter, But It’s Over 100 Degrees in South America

July 2023 Set to be World’s Hottest Month On Record