Climate Point: July heat had 'the fingerprints of climate change'

Not surprisingly given it’s the middle of summer, heat continued to play center stage in climate-related headlines this week. 

Welcome to Climate Point, your weekly summary of climate, energy and environment news across the country. I’m Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national climate and environment writer with Paste BN. 

Billions around the world have experienced record-breaking heat, and it’s not just because it’s summer. 

A new report by Climate Central found the planet’s deadly July heat wave had “the fingerprints of climate change” all over it, writes Paste BN’s Doyle Rice. 

“Virtually no place on Earth escaped the influence of climate change last month," said Andrew Pershing, Climate Central’s vice president for science. In the United States, 22 cities had at least 20 days when climate change tripled the likelihood of extra heat, including Miami, Houston, Phoenix, Tampa, Las Vegas and Austin.

For the Arizona Republic, Joan Meiners examines the crises around heat and housing in Arizona, home of Phoenix, America’s hottest big city. Many of the highest temperature records and a July 2023 heat wave that made international headlines lead some to question when Phoenix will become unlivable, Meiners wrote.

More heat

Other reporters in the Paste BN Network wrote about how cities and counties around the U.S. are addressing heat islands and social justice issues related to the heat. 

Henry Schwan wrote about how the heat in Massachusetts is affecting the unhoused, talking with a group sharing a jug of ice-cold water under a shade tree in Worcester and others.

Ricky Lozeau, who was pulling a suitcase on wheels, explained that he was homeless and looking for work. "The humidity will kill you,” Lozeau said. “It’s brutal up here.”

Ashley Ward, director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University, said the heat is having "a profound impact on the homeless."

Writing for the Louisville Courier Journal, Connor Griffin also relied on Climate Central’s data to look at urban heat island effects in Louisville, Kentucky. 

Eduardo Cuevas wrote about the progress of $3.5 million in federal funding to help build a $14 million Greenway along defunct rail lines in Yonkers, New York. The project would connect neighborhoods to New York City with green spaces in areas experiencing urban heat island effects. Heat islands disproportionately affect Black and Latino communities, the story says.

Oceans

Elizabeth Weise with the Paste BN climate and environment team followed the proceedings of the International Seabed Authority and its deliberations over contentious proposals to mine minerals from the ocean floor. 

Perhaps tied to the annual Shark Week on Discovery, a couple of reporters published interesting stories on shark science. 

A study in New England found 800 white sharks had visited the region over four years. It also appears the warmer waters may be attracting a broader variety of sharks to the region. 

In Florida, one shark researcher suggests some sharks may sense dips in air pressure when hurricanes form and head for deeper water.

Hazard duty?

And speaking of toothy animals, a team at the University of Florida's veterinary school diagnosed a 376-pound alligator with an ear infection after the challenging task of getting him through a CT scan.

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