The recent months of June, July, and August have been Earth’s hottest summer and have led to an increase in heat-related deaths.
This past summer, the shrinkage of Antarctic Sea ice led to the warmest sea surface temperature to record. According to Copernicus Data, 2023 is set to be the overall hottest year on record. Within the past two decades, 2022 had the highest heat-related death rate with about 1,670 deaths nationwide. With the temperature increasing throughout the summer, there have been several reports of heat-related deaths, although less than 2022.
United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, says, “Our planet has just endured a season of simmering — the hottest summer on record. Climate breakdown has begun. Scientists have long warned what our fossil fuel addiction will unleash. Surging temperatures demand a surge in action. Leaders must turn up the heat now for climate solutions. We can still avoid the worst of climate chaos – and we don’t have a moment to lose.”
Data has been collected throughout Europe that suggests this summer had record-breaking heat waves compared to 2022. Sam Lüthi, a Ph.D. student who conducted a study, revealed that the lack of data collection in tropical regions is a “big issue” because he and his team are “blind” in “data-scarce regions” such as the tropics, where extreme heat is likely to be the “roughest.”
Secretary-general of the World Meteorological Organization, Petteri Taalas, says, “The Northern Hemisphere just had a summer of extremes – with repeated heat waves fueling devastating wildfires, harming health, disrupting daily lives and wreaking a lasting toll on the environment.”
NASA’s Goddard Institute has identified July 2023 as the hottest month on Earth and Phoenix, Arizona as one of the hottest cities in the United States. The National Weather Service of Phoenix noted that temperatures surpassed 110 degrees Fahrenheit dozens of times throughout the summer. The heat waves lasted longer, with a record of 31 consecutive days and temperatures of over 100 degrees.
These high temperatures prevent the body from recuperating from the heat and lead to heat-related illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heat stroke. There have been 194 heat-associated deaths this year in Maricopa County with the first one being reported mid-April.
Laura Patterson, the WMO’s representative to the U.N., recommends reducing carbon emissions from the burning of fossil fuels to slow the increase in heating trend. Emitting pollution into the atmosphere will cause the temperature to continue rising and cause countries to adopt energy systems that harbor renewable energies.
Other ways to cool down the planet include the use of solar panels and hanging laundry out to dry instead of using a dryer. Scientists are currently researching and experimenting with sun-blocking technologies and reflective aerosols to determine if they are a sustainable method for reflecting sunlight away from Earth and lower temperatures.
The U.K.’s Met Office weather agency has warned there is a “98% likelihood that at least one of the next five years will be the warmest on record.”
It is important to take precautions as temperatures rise to avoid heat-related illnesses and pursue alternative options when it comes to reducing the rate at which the Earth is warming.
