The other day I took a walk along the beach in the morning before the clouds lifted. A steady breeze and the moist coastal air kept things cool enough to warrant a jacket. The high that day reached a rather pleasant 69 degrees Fahrenheit. By afternoon, it was warm in the sun, cool in the shade and comfortable all around: 69 degrees is well within the temperature range at which a human animal can live and thrive. But 110 (the high in the coastal town of Quillayute, Washington, on June 28) is not; nor is 116 (the high in Portland, Oregon, on June 28); or 117 (Las Vegas, June 20); or 118 (Dallesport, Washington, June 28); or 119 (Phoenix, June 20); or 121 (Lytton, British Columbia, June 29); and especially not 125 (Needles, California, June 20); and forget about 130, one of the hottest temperatures ever recorded on Earth (Death Valley, July 11). During this spate of record-breaking temperatures in the West, hundreds of people died.
The 10 warmest years on record have all occurred in the last 15 years, nine of them within the last decade. And the heat waves of the future are projected to be hotter, more frequent and longer-lasting. According to a recent study in the journal Nature Climate Change, 37% of the heat-related deaths globally between 1991 and 2018 can be attributed to anthropogenic climate change. Like the temperatures themselves, this number, too, is sure to increase.
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This article appeared in the print edition of the magazine with the headline Reality check.
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