Cole Porter had it right. It is too darn hot. On July 14th the surface temperature of Earth’s tropical and mid-latitude oceans was higher than on any other July 14th in modern records. The same was true for every other day in July, and for almost all of the days in June, too. Europe has gone through three heatwaves since May, and though the continent is better prepared for such things than it used to be, tens of thousands will have died as a result.
America’s Fourth of July celebrations took place under a sweltering „heat dome”. Supertyphoon Bavi, which saw well over a million people evacuated from the Chinese coast, owed much of its power to the rate at which it was able to suck up energy from the overheated sea. Fires are spreading far and wide. Worse is to come. The chances of this year being the hottest on record are growing; the El Niño getting under way in the Pacific all but guarantees next year will be.
De redactie van NRC selecteert de beste artikelen uit The Economist voor een breder perspectief op internationale politiek en economie.
Climate change is feeding on itself. The warming effects of greenhouse gases are driving processes that heat up the planet yet further. The one which is exciting—and alarming—scientists most is an unexpected reduction in an obscure but fundamental aspect of Earth: its albedo.
