As global warming becomes ‘global boiling’, world headlines underline the reality of climate breakdown
- This summer has seen the hottest June and July, the hottest day on Earth – a record broken 16 times in a month – and huge wildfires, storms and floods
- Headlines from around the world offer grim reading, underscoring the need for dramatic action to combat the climate emergency
Mainstream media are often accused of two key failings when it comes to covering climate breakdown and the threats it poses.
Even though most climate-related disasters are well covered – “extreme weather events across the globe this month have already featured on more than 114 front pages in at least 84 newspapers, published across 32 countries,” Carbon Brief reported on July 25 – rarely is it explained clearly enough that those disasters have been exacerbated, in some cases caused, by the fossil-fuel emissions we’re pumping into the atmosphere.
Secondly, it is rarely expressed that if we want our societies to remain functioning in any recognisable form, this mother of all existential threats must be a consideration in every major decision made from here on in, with obvious implications for tourism.
It would no doubt amaze Swedish scientist Svante Arrhenius – who in 1896 predicted that changes in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels could substantially alter the surface temperature through the greenhouse effect – that 127 years later, with evidence all around us, his successors are still trying to convince sceptics that climate change is real, is in significant part caused by human activity and could have horrific consequences for us all.
To reverse ‘global boiling’ we need to find steps and act collectively
Many highs from years gone by still stand, of course, but it is notable how many temperature peaks not seen in the past couple of months are from very recent times, including those of Hong Kong (2017), Japan (2020), Pakistan (2017), South Korea (2018), Sri Lanka (2019) and Taiwan (2020).
On the other hand, there is the Philippines, where the 42.2 degrees Celsius recorded in April 1912 has yet to be beaten. Such outliers help illustrate the unpredictability of climate breakdown and explain why some people remain unconvinced of the severity of the problem.
So, without further ado, our summer … so far:
China
“Northern China on red alert as record temperatures [41.1 degrees Celsius/106 degrees Fahrenheit and the first time temperatures of more than 40 degrees were recorded over two consecutive days] bake Beijing” – South China Morning Post, June 23
“China beats its own record for hot days over six months [an average of 4.1 days where the maximum daily temperature exceeded 35 degrees Celsius]” – CNN, July 3
“China logs 52.2 Celsius [in Sanbao, Xinjiang; an all-time national record] as extreme weather rewrites records” – Reuters, July 17
“At least 20 dead across Beijing and nearby Hebei as Tropical Storm Doksuri brings heaviest rain in 70 years” – South China Morning Post, August 1
North Asia
“Siberia swelters in record-breaking temperatures [up to 39.6 degrees Celsius] amid its ‘worst heat wave in history’” – CNN, June 8
“Tokyo Heat Smashes 150-Year Trend [nine degrees above the seasonal average] as Extreme Weather Bakes Globe” – Bloomberg, July 17
“Japan had hottest July in 125 years [since records began]” – NHK World August 1
Southeast Asia
“Thailand notches highest temperature on record [45.4 degrees Celsius] as ‘monster’ heat wave roasts Southeast Asia” – Yahoo News, April 19
“Thailand issues ‘don’t go out’ warning as heat index hits record 54C” – Sky News, April 22
“Vietnam [44.2 degrees Celsius] and Laos [43.5 degrees] record hottest temperatures ever as heat wave grips Southeast Asia” – CNN, May 8
“Temperature of 37 deg C in Ang Mo Kio matches all-time highest daily mark [in Singapore] hit 40 years ago” – The Straits Times, May 13
Deadly heatwaves could undo India’s efforts on poverty, inequality
India
“Climate Change Made the April 2023 Heat Wave Across India 30 Times More Likely” – The Wire, May 17
“India scorched by extreme heat with monsoon rains delayed” – Associated Press, May 22
North America
“Miami’s worst heat wave breaks records on land and sea” – Axios, July 18
“Canadian wildfires burning land at record pace” – Reuters, July 24
“July’s heatwave [in North America and Europe] was made 1,000 times more likely by climate change” – New Scientist, July 25
“Phoenix just endured the hottest month for any US city as historic heat streak [31 consecutive days at 43.3 degrees Celsius or above] comes to an end” – CNN, August 1
“Maui Town Is Devastated by Deadliest Wildfire to Strike Hawaii” - The New York Times, August 10
Do chemical sunscreens, shown to harm corals, also damage beaches?
South America
The continent is “living one of the most extreme events the world has ever seen”, according to weather historian Maximiliano Herrera.
“It’s midwinter, but it’s over 100 degrees [Fahrenheit/37.8 degrees Celsius] in South America” – The Washington Post, August 2
“A scorching winter: Argentina’s capital breaks record for hottest start to August in 117 years” – ABC News, August 2
Europe
“Rome hits 41.8C temperature record [beating the previous record, set only in June 2022, by a whole degree] as Covid-style protocols rolled out for heatwave” – The Telegraph, July 18
“Albania hits all-time high [44 degrees Celsius] as heat blasts southern Europe and fires rage” – The Washington Post, July 25
“Greece wildfires are so intense they’ve spewed more emissions in a week than July wildfires in 2 decades” – CBS News, July 26
“Met Eireann confirms last month was the wettest July [in Ireland] on record” – breakingnews.ie, August 1
Middle East
“The heat index reached 152 degrees [Fahrenheit/66.7 Celsius] in Middle East – nearly at the limit for human survival” – The Washington Post, July 18
“Iran shuts down for two days because of ‘unprecedented heat’” – Reuters, August 3
Antarctica
“Antarctic sea ice has been at record low levels for months” – CNBC, July 11
World needs to mobilise to fight the common enemy – our own climate
Seas and oceans
“Mediterranean Sea reaches highest temperature ever [28.71 degrees Celsius]” – Le Monde, July 25
“North Atlantic ocean temperature sets record high [24.9 degrees Celsius]” – Japan Today, August 2
“Ocean heat record broken [20.96 degrees Celsius], with grim implications for the planet” – BBC, August 4
All is not lost, however. To avoid the very worst effects of climate breakdown we need to pull out all the stops to wean ourselves off fossil fuels as soon as possible. It can be done, but only with dramatic, immediate climate action.
