Jul 19, 20232 min read

We were promised Climate Change. It's here.

Updated: Aug 2, 2023

Phoenix, Arizona (USA) has suffered temperatures above 43°C for 19 days straight.

Large swaths of Europe, the US, Asia, and Africa have experienced sweltering temperatures and other extreme weather events in recent weeks.

Last summer, extreme heat killed more than 61,000 people in Europe. This summer seems to be on track to be even hotter. Italy, Spain, France and Greece are expected to see extreme weather.

Nearly all major Italian cities are on red heat alert. The islands of Sardinia and Sicily expect temperatures reaching 46°C.

Many countries are battling severe drought, including Portugal, Spain and Somalia which has suffered 5 failed rainy seasons in a row.

Wildfires have broken out in the US, Croatia, France, Greece, Russia, Spain, Switzerland and Turkey. Fires have raged for three days near Athens and are approaching the capital. Canada has suffered a record-setting series of wildfires since March 2023 which are still ongoing, with 970 fires still active as of July 22nd, 605 of which are still out of control.

In India and Pakistan, flash floods, landslides and accidents related to heavy rainfall have killed more than 100 people. In South Korea, massive flooding and landslides have driven more than 4,700 people from their homes. Somalia has suffered years of crop failures leading to displacement and famine.

The intense heat is associated with an anticyclone named Charon after the ferryman of Greek mythology who carried souls to the underworld. It follows on the heels of a heatwave called Cerberus after the three-headed dog guarding the realm of the dead.

This past week may have been the hottest in human history, following the warmest June on record. The month of July is likely to see the highest global temperatures for 120,000 years.