It’s hotter than ever

If you spent the past few days fanning your pits while crouching in front of a cranked-up AC and housing down cherry Icees, get used to it.

Earth just keeps shattering temperature records.

• Monday ranked as Earth’s hottest day in 100,000+ years. Then the globe pulled a three-peat as each subsequent day through Thursday broke the heat record set the day before, making July 3–6 the hottest four days on record.
• The steamy week followed the warmest June ever, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
• And it’s no better down where it’s wetter: Sea ice levels off the coast of Antarctica have hit record lows, and the North Atlantic has recently surged passed its previous high temps…by a lot.

Why now? According to researchers, the rising mercury can be attributed to a combination of global climate change from human greenhouse gas emissions and the naturally occurring El Niño phenomenon, which raises temperatures in the Pacific Ocean and tends to bring hotter weather with it. So, we’re likely in for even more blistering days as July progresses—and possibly even the hottest year ever.

The dangerous heat levels are already impacting how we live and work.

• Heat safety has been a major sticking point in the ongoing, contentious negotiations between UPS and the Teamsters Union that represents its drivers, causing the company to tentatively agree to air condition its trucks.
• Beijing halted all outside work this week as the city experienced its longest streak of days above 95 degrees Fahrenheit since 1961.

But there are hopeful signs: If it’s going to keep getting hotter, we’ll have to figure out how to deal with it while also weaning ourselves off the fossil fuels that contribute to climate change—and sweltering Texas has provided an example of how that might work. The state’s been able to keep its power grid running despite the heat wave thanks in large part to its solar and wind energy supply.