Posted: Tuesday, July 20, 2021
Extreme temperature and weather events are increasing in frequency and intensity alongside increasing average humidity and temperatures. These increases are driving elevated energy usage. The northern hemisphere has experienced some exceptionally high temperatures during the summer months of June and July. Temperatures have soared to 49.6°C in Canada, resulting in more than 486 deaths over the past couple of weeks. In California this month, Death Valley experienced the highest ever recorded temperature on Earth at 54.4°C, surpassing the previous record held by Kuwait in the Middle East at 53.2°C. The increase of this global record of 1.2 °C is substantial and worthy of attention. Heat and increasing humidity in some regions can trigger significant health effects for those without access to air conditioning, causing death in the most severe cases.