Heat warnings issued in US and Japan

By Sharon Kimathi, Energy and ESG Editor, Reuters Digital

Hello,

Today’s newsletter focuses on the widespread heat warnings issued in the United States and Japan.

The latest heat wave will deliver more record temperatures along the U.S. West Coast, as millions of Americans sweat through a heat dome that is also hovering over Arizona and Nevada.

About 36 million people — roughly 10% of the country — are under excessive heat warnings coming from the heat dome centered over California, the National Weather Service said.

A heat dome is a weather phenomenon consisting of extreme heat that is caused when the atmosphere traps hot ocean air as if bounded by a lid or cap. 

Fossil fuel-driven climate change is driving extreme heat waves across the world and will continue to deliver dangerous weather for decades to come, research shows.

Also on my radar today:

Dylan Castillo of the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice Coalition brings water to people who are unsheltered, during excessive heat in Calexico, California, U.S. REUTERS/Zoe Meyers

High temperatures are forecast to meet or exceed daily high records in Washington state, Oregon, California, northern Arizona and central Idaho.

In Death Valley National Park along the California-Nevada border, the NWS projects highs near 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius) through Friday.

On Saturday, the thermometer reached 128 F there (53 C), breaking a 17-year record and killing a motorcyclist who died from heat exposure, multiple news agencies reported, citing a government statement.

Temperatures reached 115 F (46 C) in Las Vegas, which tied a record that was set in 2007.

Temperatures are running as much as 20 degrees above normal this time of year in places like Redding, a city in northern California that hit an all-time high of 119 F (48 C) on Saturday, NWS meteorologist Bryan Jackson said.

The NWS is also warning of increased wildfire risks due to a mix of hot, dry, and windy conditions. In Southern California, residents were ordered late Saturday to evacuate parts of Santa Barbara County where the Lake Fire has scorched more than 13,000 acres (52.6 square km) since Friday, according to Cal Fire. The wildfire is 0% contained as officials investigate the cause.

Another 36 million people are under heat advisories, while about 1 million face excessive heat watches, including in eastern Oregon, northeastern Nevada and southwestern Idaho.

Elsewhere, Japan warned against the risk of heat stroke in Tokyo and areas in its east and west on Tuesday, as hot and humid conditions behind several recent deaths drove some people to use new “cooling shelters” set up around the capital.

Authorities urged people to avoid physical activity as the environment ministry issued top “danger”-level alerts, while media said many people were hospitalized, with some dying from heat stroke symptoms over the last few days.

“It’s a life-threatening emergency,” said 60-year-old Hisako Ichiuji, who went to a “cooling shelter” at the capital’s Tokyo Tower, a popular tourist spot.

Typically, facilities such as community centers or libraries equipped with air conditioners, the shelters are part of a scheme adopted this year requiring local governments to provide people a respite from the heat after warnings go out.

A bottle of Johnson and Johnson Baby Powder is seen in a photo illustration taken in New York. REUTERS/Mike Segar/Illustration

Dr. Steven Cohen, director of the sustainability management program at Columbia University School of Professional Studies shares his thoughts on the U.S. presidential election and the climate movement: 

“After President Biden’s horrific debate performance, concern is growing that the Democrats will be unable to hold onto any power in Washington and the drive toward environmental sustainability and a green economy will come to a grinding halt. 

“Fortunately, the drive for clean air, water, and a less toxic environment can’t be stopped in Washington or any other political capital.

“It is a broad cultural movement related to a concern for wellness in the developed world. We pay attention to diet, exercise, health and what we eat, drink and breathe.

“Most people, particularly young people, know that climate change and ecological destruction is real and worry about the future. 

“This has led to broad cultural and value change. We see it in corporations- with the growth of chief sustainability officers and corporate sustainability reports; with investors and their growing concern for environmental risk; with insurance companies refusing to insure against climate risk. 

“Change is always a matter of two steps forward and one step back, and there are always setbacks. But people like to breathe, they sort of get used to it, and parents will never knowingly allow their children to be poisoned. That’s what drives environmentalism.”

A report from the EU’s climate change monitoring service said last month was the hottest June on record, continuing a streak of exceptional temperatures that some scientists said puts 2024 on track to be the world’s hottest recorded year.

Every month since June 2023 – 13 months in a row – has ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began, compared with the corresponding month in previous years, the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) said in a monthly bulletin.

Larry, the Downing Street cat, sits outside Number 10, in London, Britain. REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth

Today’s spotlight pays homage to a very special cat with a very important job.

On a night of sweeping change across British politics, one thing at the heart of the government remained the same: Larry the Downing Street cat.

The white and tabby cat, who bears the official title Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office, was seen padding around the famous high gloss black door to Number 10 – the office he will now share with his sixth prime minister.

Larry has been resident in the seat of British power since 2011 when, under then-prime minister David Cameron, he was adopted from the nearby Battersea Dogs & Cats Home.

While Larry is clearly going nowhere, he might soon have some company. The country’s latest Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, already has a cat named JoJo who is expected to join him when he takes up residence in the street.

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