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This is so scary! The people are trying everything they can to help but the big corporates need to be held by the collar and given a good shaking too!
The pacific northwest is recovering after an extraordinary heatwave hit them last week. One of the highest temperatures recorded was 121 degrees Fahrenheit in British Columbia. Researchers estimated that there was only a 0.1% chance of such an intense heat wave occurring in any given year.
This heatwave would have been virtually impossible without climate change. Canada broke an 84 year old national heat record by nearly 3 degrees in British Columbia. In 2012, the highest ever recorded temperature in the U.S. was 107.7 degrees in Death Valley, CA. Now, only nine years later, Death Valley set a new world record temperature of 130 degrees on Friday. At the same time, a town southwest of Portland, OR, where average daily temperatures in the summer usually peak around 81 degrees, reached 117 degrees last week.
If the world warms another 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit, the chances of more severe heat waves occurring will increase by as much as 20% in a given year. And when heat waves occur, many are affected. Extreme heat is one of the leading causes of weather-related deaths in the U.S. High temperatures can also be particularly damaging to agriculture and energy systems.
The point is that extreme weather events like heat waves continue to take people by surprise. The concern is most often self-generated, where we complain about having to walk in the heat to get to what is usually an air-conditioned destination. As we complain about our own comfort, let’s not forget about what we should really be expressing concern about—something much larger than ourselves: our planet. These extreme weather events may seem out of our control, but spreading awareness is the first step to taking action. Let’s not accept our new normal but actively work against it.
Photo: last week’s sunset