Anyone who doubts that the current heat wave in Ireland is related to global climate change or who doubts the immediate reality of that climate change and therefore the urgent need for emergency measures such as Brid Smith’s Climate Emergency Bill to end fossil fuel extraction in Ireland, should check out these astonishing figures.
They are taken from an article by James Samenow in The Washington Post (03.07.18) and they terrifying in their implications.
North America
A massive and intense heat dome has consumed the eastern two-thirds of the United States and southeast Canada since late last week. It’s not only been hot but also exceptionally humid. Here are some of the notable all-time records set:
- Denvertied its all-time high-temperature record of 105 degrees on June 28.
- Burlington, Vt., set its all-time warmest low temperatureever recorded of 80 degrees on July 2.
- Montreal recorded its highest temperature in recorded history, dating back 147 years, of 97.9 degrees (36.6 Celsius) on July 2. The city also posted its most extreme midnight combination of heat and humidity.
- Ottawa posted its most extreme combination of heat and humidity on July 1.
Europe
Excessive heat torched the British Isles late last week. The stifling heat caused roads and roofs to buckle, the Weather Channel reported, and resulted in multiple record highs:
- Scotlandprovisionally set its hottest temperature on record. The U.K. Met Office reported Motherwell, about 12 miles southeast of Glasgow, hit 91.8 degrees (33.2 Celsius) on June 28, passing the previous record of (32.9 Celsius) set in August 2003 at Greycrook. Additionally, Glasgow had its hottest day on record, hitting 89.4 degrees (31.9 Celsius).
- In Ireland, on June 28:
- In Northern Ireland, Castlederg hit 86.2 degrees (30.1 Celsius) on June 29, its record.
Eurasia
A large dome of high pressure, or heat dome, has persistently sat on top of Eurasia over the past week, resulting in some extraordinarily hot weather:
- Yerevan, Armenia: On July 2, the capital city soared to 107.6 degrees (42 Celsius), a record high for July and tying its record for any month.
- Several locations in southern Russia topped or matched their warmest June temperatures on record on the 28th.
Middle East
As we reported, Quriyat, Oman, posted the world’s hottest low temperature ever recorded on June 28: 109 degrees (42.6 Celsius).
These various records add to a growing list of heat milestones set over the past 15 months that are part and parcel of a planet that is trending hotter as greenhouse gas concentrations increase because of human activity:
- In April, Pakistan posted the hottest temperature ever observed on Earth during the monthof 122.4 degrees (50.2 Celsius).
- Dallas had never hit 90 degrees in November before, but it did so three times in four days in 2017.
- In late October 2017, temperatures soared to 108 degrees in Southern California, the hottest weather on record so late in the season in the entire United States.
- On Sept. 1, 2017, San Francisco hit 106 degrees, smashing its all-time hottest temperature.
- In late July 2017, Shanghai registered its highest temperature in recorded history, 105.6 degrees (40.9 Celsius).
- In mid-July, Spain posted its highest temperature recordedwhen Cordoba Airport (in the south) hit 116.4 degrees (46.9 Celsius).
- In July 2017, Death Valley, Calif., endured the hottest month recorded on Earth.
- In late June 2017, Ahvaz, Iran, soared to 128.7 degrees Fahrenheit (53.7 Celsius) — that country’s all-time hottest temperature.
- In late May 2017, the western town of Turbat in Pakistan hit 128.3 degrees (53.5 Celsius), tying the all-time highest temperature in that country and the world-record temperature for May.
These figures show that businesses with vested interests who oppose and block action to counter climate change as if it were some far off danger that can be left to the future are literally ‘fiddling while the planet burns’. They are willing to sacrifice the future of humanity and the existence of millions of species for the sake of their short term profits.
