When the rivers run dry
The summer of 2022’s ominous climate message
The contention that climate change isn't real has gone poof! in a wisp of smoke, like a piece of paper held under a magnifying glass on a 100-degree day. But there are still those who contend that rapidly reducing the use of fossil fuels would be too painful a price to pay, and that rather than succumb to "alarmism," humanity should learn to "adapt" to a hotter planet. The summer of 2022 has put the adaptation option under the magnifying glass. Unprecedented heat and drought have scorched China for months, and dried up so many rivers — including the mighty Yangtze — that authorities are instituting rolling blackouts because of lost hydropower. In Europe, 104-degree days and prolonged drought baked a shocked Britain brown, revealed long-submerged relics in the Tiber River and sunken German warships in the Danube, and shut down popular river cruises on the Rhine. In the American Southwest, the worst megadrought in 1,200 years may lead to major water usage cuts for seven sunblasted states dependent on a waning Colorado River. Is turning off the water an adaptation?
A hotter atmosphere traps a lot of moisture, so that when rain does arrive, it sometimes comes down with biblical ferocity. In recent weeks, a spate of "1,000-year floods" have submerged Kentucky, Dallas, and other parts of the U.S., destroying thousands of homes. In Pakistan, "a monsoon on steroids" has flooded close to a third of the country, killing more than 1,100 people and inflicting misery on 33 million. All this comes after just 2 degrees Fahrenheit of warming so far. Without a dramatic reduction in greenhouse gases, we may be heading for a rise of 3 degrees F in two decades, with more to come. As the pandemic has shown, our species is prone to kicking the can down the road, to selfishly putting off the change and sacrifice needed to avoid collective future catastrophe. But what if the future shows up early?
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
William Falk is editor-in-chief of The Week, and has held that role since the magazine's first issue in 2001. He has previously been a reporter, columnist, and editor at the Gannett Westchester Newspapers and at Newsday, where he was part of two reporting teams that won Pulitzer Prizes.
-
Why are people and elephants fighting in Sri Lanka?
Under The Radar Farmers encroaching into elephant habitats has led to deaths on both sides
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
How climate change is contributing to global unrest
In Depth Some experts argue that global warming can be tied to rising levels of violence around the world
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Why last-chance tourism is the latest controversial travel trend
The Explainer Race to visit places threatened by climate change 'before it's too late'
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
The 5 biggest corporate greenwashing fines
The Explainer Pretending to be green can be expensive
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
How air pollution affects the brain
The Explainer Breathing fresh air is becoming more rare
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
It might be time to add a new hurricane category
Under the Radar Any way the wind blows
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
The looming extinction of migratory animals
Under the Radar Some species are migrating straight out of existence
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published
-
Cicadas are back with a vengeance
Under the radar Beware the cicadapocalypse
By Devika Rao, The Week US Published