When the ocean is 97 degrees
The world is reaching a climate tipping point
It hit 97 degrees this week in the ocean off South Florida. Not the air temperature — the ocean itself. In steam-bath Miami, the heat index has surpassed 100 degrees for more than 30 straight days. Large swaths of Texas, Nevada and Arizona have been broiling in 110-plus degrees for a week (Phoenix: 118 degrees), with no end to the inferno in sight. In Canada's Northwest Territories — just a few miles south of the Arctic Circle — temperatures climbed to 99.3 degrees. In China, officials are opening underground air-raid shelters so people can hide from life-endangering heat. Climate change's effects are becoming surreal: Last week was the hottest week ever recorded in terms of the average global temperature. July 4 was the hottest day ever recorded — warmer, say scientists, than any other day over the last 125,000 years. With the El Niño climate pattern releasing even more heat in coming months, said climatologist Christopher Hewitt of the World Meteorological Organization, "we are in uncharted territory."
So what do we do? Like the proverbial frog that does not jump out of the slowly heated pot, people really do get used to almost anything, no matter how unpleasant. Just 8% of Americans identify climate change as the most important issue facing the country, a recent poll found. Yet extreme weather events like floods and wildfires that cause more than $1 billion in damage are becoming commonplace, occurring every 18 days now — compared with every 82 days in 1980. The world is finally moving toward solar, wind and renewable energy, but at too slow a pace. This summer's extremes already are exceeding the most pessimistic climate scenarios. As we continue to burn fossil fuels, climatologists warn, the heat will grow even more punishing in coming years, and disasters more frequent. My fellow frogs, have you noticed that the water in this pot is getting awfully warm?
This is the editor's letter in the current issue of The Week magazine.
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.
-
Film reviews: ‘Send Help’ and ‘Private Life’Feature An office doormat is stranded alone with her awful boss and a frazzled therapist turns amateur murder investigator
-
Movies to watch in Februarythe week recommends Time travelers, multiverse hoppers and an Iraqi parable highlight this month’s offerings during the depths of winter
-
ICE’s facial scanning is the tip of the surveillance icebergIN THE SPOTLIGHT Federal troops are increasingly turning to high-tech tracking tools that push the boundaries of personal privacy
-
The world is entering an ‘era of water bankruptcy’The explainer Water might soon be more valuable than gold
-
Climate change could lead to a reptile ‘sexpocalypse’Under the radar The gender gap has hit the animal kingdom
-
The former largest iceberg is turning blue. It’s a bad sign.Under the radar It is quickly melting away
-
How drones detected a deadly threat to Arctic whalesUnder the radar Monitoring the sea in the air
-
‘Jumping genes’: how polar bears are rewiring their DNA to survive the warming ArcticUnder the radar The species is adapting to warmer temperatures
-
Environment breakthroughs of 2025In Depth Progress was made this year on carbon dioxide tracking, food waste upcycling, sodium batteries, microplastic monitoring and green concrete
-
Crest falling: Mount Rainier and 4 other mountains are losing heightUnder the radar Its peak elevation is approximately 20 feet lower than it once was
-
Death toll from Southeast Asia storms tops 1,000speed read Catastrophic floods and landslides have struck Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia
