CLIMATE CHANGE - Extreme Heat

"How the White House plans to combat the ‘silent killer’ of rising heat levels" PBS NewsHour 9/20/2021

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SUMMARY:  2021 had one of the hottest summers on record, with July being the hottest single month recorded.  Extreme heat is expected to worsen with climate change.  The Biden administration announced a plan Monday that would develop new workplace standards for Americans who work outdoors, prioritizing heat-related inspections.  William Brangham and Gina McCarthy, White House National Climate Adviser, discuss.

 

WARING:  Republicans have continually crippled regulation by not funding, or even defunding, money to hire more regulatory personnel (inspectors and administration).

 

 

"As high temperatures hurt Sicily’s food production, rising sea levels threaten housing" PBS NewsHour 9/21/2021

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SUMMARY:  Climate change experts in Sicily, Italy are warning that rising sea waters are threatening some of the island's most crucial heavy industrial plants.  They are also forecasting food shortages because crops are being destroyed.  The island endured record temperatures this summer.  Special correspondent Malcolm Brabant reports from Sicily for NewsHour's Climate Change series.

CLIMATE CRISIS - World's Oceans

BELIEVE THE SCIENCE!

"The future of ocean life is bleak if we don’t cut carbon emissions" PBS NewsHour 9/25/2019

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SUMMARY:  The world's oceans and seas have already absorbed an enormous amount of excess heat in our climate system, according to a new UN report [PDF download link].  And the risks of dire consequences for marine and coastal life will get significantly worse if carbon emissions don't change.  William Brangham learns more from study co-author Michael Oppenheimer of Princeton University.

GLOBAL WALKOUT - Climate Action Now!

"Why extreme climate scenarios no longer seem so unlikely" PBS NewsHour 9/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  The United Nations has called climate change the “defining issue of our time.”  But new analyses suggest the planet’s temperature will rise by even more than the UN had estimated -- and that warming creates ever-increasing energy consumption due to the need for more air conditioning.  Paul Solman takes an updated look at the extreme risks the globe faces from potential worst-case scenarios.

"Youth marches for climate action draw millions around the world" PBS NewsHour 9/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  In cities across the globe on Friday, protesters took to the streets to demand action on climate change.  The demonstrations, easily the largest to focus on climate, represent a movement driven largely by young people -- many of whom left school to join the walkout.  William Brangham spoke to several participants about their mission to reduce fossil fuel emissions and how they plan to execute it.

"Why transitioning to only renewable energy will be difficult for the U.S." PBS NewsHour 9/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  After millions of protesters marched around the globe to demand action on climate change, we more closely examine what policies they are proposing.  Miles O’Brien joins William Brangham to discuss current sources of U.S. energy and what it would take to transition to all renewables, plus the outlook for nuclear power as the infamous Three Mile Island plant closes.

SEA LEVEL RISE - Summer's Heat Wave

"What this summer’s record-breaking heat means for global sea level rise" PBS NewsHour 8/2/2019

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SUMMARY:  The scorching heat wave that stifled Europe recently is now moving north, but it continues to set alarming records.  Temperatures in Greenland are running 15 to 20 degrees Fahrenheit above average -- melting about 10 billion tons of ice into the ocean daily.  William Brangham talks to Ted Scambos of the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences about the frightening phenomenon.

CLIMATE - Heat of the Moment

"With more extreme heat, air conditioning becomes a matter of life and death" PBS NewsHour 7/19/2019

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SUMMARY:  According to NASA, last month was the hottest June documented in the past 139 years.  And the National Weather Service forecasts record highs, at potentially deadly levels, through the coming weekend.  How is climate change related to the extreme heat, and how can individuals and governments prepare for more days of it?  William Brangham talks to Astrid Caldas of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

EUROPE - Boiling Point

"Why is it so hot in Europe?" PBS NewsHour 6/28/2019

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SUMMARY:  An extreme heat wave is gripping much of Europe, breaking records and causing widespread misery.  Temperatures soared well over 100 degrees Fahrenheit in France, Germany and Spain.  While the heat is coming from sub-Saharan Africa, some researchers say climate change is exacerbating and prolonging it.  They warn more record highs are likely--and along with them, more deaths.  William Brangham reports.

Possible answer, too many visits by blowhard Trump?

GLOBAL CLIMATE - Temperatures Reach Extreme Highs

"Global temperatures reach extreme highs, breaking records" PBS NewsHour 7/7/2018

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SUMMARY:  Heat waves broke records around the world this week.  While Burbank airport in California touched 114 degrees, Montreal in Canada recorded a high of 97.9 degrees.  In Glasgow, Scotland, the temperature was a record-breaking 89.4 degrees on June 28 and a new world record was set off the coast of Oman, where the temperature never dropped below 108.7 degrees for 24 hours.  Hari Sreenivasan reports.

THE LEADING EDGE - Pigs Can't Fly....Wait? Planes Can't Fly?!

"Why planes can’t fly when it’s too hot, and other ways our civilization can’t take the heat" PBS NewsHour 6/21/2017

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SUMMARY:  An extreme heat wave is baking the West and Southwest, with temperatures well above 100 degrees.  More than 40 flights were canceled or delayed because some planes can't safely lift off in that heat.  Science correspondent Miles O’Brien joins Hari Sreenivasan to explain how high heat can ground air flight and the larger trend of our warming climate and how it affects us.