Extreme Heat Hitting Olympics ‘Impossible’ Without Human-caused Climate Change

Utah County Buys Lawns to Save Water

Washington County in southern Utah is one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. It currently has a population of 200,000, but is expected to double by 2060. The problem is that the Virgin River that meanders through the county is thinning due to climate-change induced drought and overuse. In order to meet the growing water needs, the county is instituting a program to buy residents’ grass as a way to get them to swap in less water-dependent plants. Currently, 70% of residential water is used on lawns. By swapping out grass for plants that are better adapted to the climate, residents could reduce landscape watering to 9 gallons per square foot instead of 37 gallons for grass. The payout is $2 per square foot of converted grass, up to 5,000 square feet, with $1 per square foot beyond that.

Morgan Sjogren, Route Fifty

Extreme Heat Hitting Olympics ‘Impossible’ Without Human-caused Climate Change

A heat dome caused scorching temperatures across western Europe and north Africa, boiling athletes and spectators at the Olympic Games in Paris. According to a rapid analysis, this would have been impossible without human-caused global heating. Scientists say that the fossil-fueled climate crisis made temperatures 2.5C to 3.3C hotter, and continued emissions will make the hot temperatures even more frequent. Numerous athletes have felt the wrath of the heat. Simone Biles noted the lack of air conditioning in some venues and buses. Sailing competitors wore ice vests to keep cool. Fans watching beach volleyball were sprayed with hoses to help keep cool. It is anticipated that the extreme heat will cause many people to die prematurely across the region, like has happened in previous bouts of extreme heat in European summers.

Damian Carrington, The Guardian

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory Measures Largest Annual Leap in CO2 Ever

Hawaii’s Mauna Loa Observatory just confirmed that atmospheric levels of planet-warming CO2 aren’t just on their way to another record year - they’re rising faster than ever. CO2 levels were 4.7 parts per million higher in March than they were a year earlier, the largest annual leap ever measured at the NOAA lab at the Observatory. From January through April, CO2 concentrations increased faster than they have in the first four months of any other year. Experts say that the historically strong El Nino that developed last year could be a big reason for the spike in CO2, and there are natural ebbs and flows throughout the year, but the existing trend in which global carbon emissions are rising is keeping us on an upward trajectory.

Scott Dance, The Washington Post