A climate scientist explains recent heat records

This has been a year of record temperatures across the globe. According to the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), June 2024 was the warmest June on record and the 13th consecutive month of record-high temperatures. This follows news from the Copernicus Climate Change Service that we recently experienced a 12-month period in which every month was at least 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial temperatures. That’s significant not just because it felt a little hotter for all of us, but because climate scientists have identified 1.5 degrees Celsius as a critical global warming threshold to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. To be clear, this doesn’t mean the fight against climate change is lost. But the extreme heat impacting billions of people this summer is providing a preview of what might lie ahead if we don’t take aggressive action.

Today’s episode features a conversation with Dr. Stephanie Roe, WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Lead Scientist. Stephanie explains the role that climate change plays in driving heat waves (2:02), what key indicators she’s following to determine just how bad heat-related climate impacts have gotten (5:18), and what we can all do in our daily lives to address climate change and adapt to extreme heat (14:05).

Links for More Info:

Stephanie Roe bio

NOAA Monthly Climate Report, June 2024

Copernicus Climate Change Service

NATURE Article: “Climate models can’t explain 2023’s huge heat anomaly – we may be in uncharted territory,” by Gavin Schmidt

2024 State of Carbon Dioxide Removal Report

US Energy Department guide to IRA tax credits