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heat wave

Europe’s Worst Heatwave On Record Raises Debates Over Air Conditioning Culture 

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Europe is currently enduring its worst heatwave on record, and it’s bracing for it to get even hotter as the summer progresses. The continent’s lack of air conditioning has often been a major point of contention for travelers and residents alike during the summer months. Now, health experts are entering the conversation over the culture of air conditioning, especially for vulnerable groups. 

The head of the World Health Organization’s Europe office, Hans Kluge, said that “much of Europe’s investment has rightly gone into longer-term solutions like shade, insulation, and cooling centers, rather than mechanical cooling.”

The WHO office also recommends a “nuanced adoption” of air conditioning that specifically works to protect those at high risk, “both have a role,” Kluge said. 

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The Guardian recently reported on studies that suggest Europe’s efforts to adapt to modern cooling systems have decreased the death toll by 75% for the kind of heat that was considered to be extreme 20 years ago. However, it’s clear now that all over the world heatwaves and dangerously high temperatures have gotten even worse within the past two decades. 

The WHO estimates that over 200,000 people have died from the heat in Europe within the last four years. In June, record-breaking heat levels will likely “yield a death toll in the thousands, if not low tens of thousands,” the publication reported.

These numbers are also well above the levels that are experienced in the US, where historic heatwaves are also occurring, but air conditioning is used in 90% of homes. 

Although most political parties in Europe agree that hospitals, care homes, schools, and public transport should all have proper air conditioning, many mainstream parties are also blocking air conditioning services due to not viewing climate change as a serious concern. 

For example, this year, the day after Germany broke their heat record, Marc Bernhard, the construction spokesperson for the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) stated that his party would stop people “being sacrificed on the altar of mainstream climate ideology. Climate hysteria is leading to more heat-related deaths due to ideological construction errors such as abstaining from air conditioning.”

In France, on the other hand, Marin Le Pen’s National Rally has been fighting against renovations to make buildings energy-efficient and even has tried to block wind turbines and solar panels. However, the rally has also made air conditioning a main focus while simultaneously going against policies to combat climate change. 

In some of the world’s richest nations, including the US, Australia, and Japan, air conditioning is normalized, however, only around 15% of the 3.5 billion people living in regions with some of the highest global temperatures own an AC unit. 

The demand for global cooling is expected to increase significantly within the next decade and beyond. For example, in south-east Asia, the International Energy Agency expects the number of air conditioners to “rise ninefold” between 2020 and 2040 if current policies remain. 

While air conditioning can impact climate change due to the fact that it expels hot air into surrounding streets and the energy use can increase the risk of blackouts, in Europe the risk of these detrimental effects is significantly lower than other urban areas around the world. 

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Additionally, although there are laws in some areas that make it difficult to install air conditioning in private buildings, there isn’t a lot of data to back up that this is the driving reason for the low amounts of air conditions adopted throughout the continent. 

Despite all of this, there are many citizens throughout Europe that are protecting themselves from the extreme heat and cooling their homes. Reports indicate that the share of households in Italy and Spain with air conditioning has grown to more than 50%, and in France it’s risen to 24%.

 On the opposite end, Germany has some of the lowest air conditioning installations in Europe. This is partially due to a large proportion of renters, but a lot of it has to do with homeowners not being able to justify the cost even with record-breaking temperatures and dangerous conditions. 

Gabriele Werner, a worker in the tourist information office of Neuzelle, said that they’d “consider getting air conditioning if the summers keep getting hotter, but when it’s just a few days [they] can bear it.”

The Guardian actually visited Neuzelle and their neighboring district of Neißemünde, where they reported that the response to the recent heat wasn’t met with any urgency or sympathy for those suffering. 

Reinhard Lang, a retired electrician who lives in a 150-year-old house, told the publication that “climate change is just a word that gets trumpeted. Back when I was a child, it was also warm. It just wasn’t played up.” 

Kluge stated that Europe’s strong emergency response to their recent heat has saved lives. 

“The priority now is ensuring AC reaches people for whom it’s a medical necessity, while continuing to build out the infrastructure – trees, green roofs, cooler buildings – that protects everyone, including people who simply can’t fit a unit in their home.”

Dr. Chloe Brimicombe, a climate scientist at Oxford University who focuses on extreme heat gave some of the other solutions that are being looked into as well. “We are currently focusing a lot of our energy and water resources during heatwaves on cooling data centers.”

“Lives are more valuable to us than AI – or at least they should be right?” 

solar

Solar Power Generating More Energy Than Coal In The US For The First Time 

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For the first time on record, solar power is generating more energy than coal and became the leading source of new power in the United States, despite President Donald Trump boosting coal use over clean energy. 

This week, global energy thinktank Ember, a report by the Solar Energy Industries Association, and analytics firm Wood Mackenzie released data that showed a continuous growth of solar power and a decline of coal in America, despite federal policies trying to lead the nation in the opposite direction. 

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Electricity in general is produced by converting sources of energy into electrical power. These sources of energy are generally fossil fuels, nuclear, and renewable resources. Burning coal, oil, and natural gases have long emitted carbon dioxide into the atmosphere which traps heat and warms the planet. 

On the other hand, solar, wind, geothermal, hydropower, and nuclear energy are carbon-free. 

The data showed that in May of this year, solar energy provided more of the country’s electricity than coal for the first time with 12.8%, according to Ember. Coal, on the other hand, supplied 12.2%, which is its fourth-lowest monthly share ever, the Guardian reported.

“For years solar power has risen in the US electricity mix,” said Nicolas Fulghum, senior energy and data analyst at Ember. 

“At the same time, coal power has lost its status, first as the largest source in the US mix, and then gradually over the years has fallen even further.”

Fulghum went on to explain that solar also became the third-largest source of electricity in the US in May, while coal hit an all-time monthly low in April, which is what allowed solar energy to overtake. 

Electricity demand has been constantly increasing within the 21st century. In the last few years especially, new technologies such as artificial intelligence, growth in domestic manufacturing, and electric transportation and heating have all contributed to the type of energy being consumed around the US. 

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Fulghum stated that he’s expecting more months of solar energy exceeding coal, and eventually, this will become an annual pattern.  

He added that this milestone shows that solar “has staying power” during a time period in the world where renewable energy isn’t being supported on a federal level. 

Ember gets its hourly and monthly data from the US Energy Information Administration. According to the International Energy Agency, globally, electricity from renewables is increasing quickly with renewables becoming the largest global energy source. It’s projected that renewable energy will be used for almost 45% of electricity by 2030. 

Last week Trump announced a plan to boost the struggling US coal industry by spending up to $700 million to support both coal-fired power plants and coal exports. 

Martin Pochtaruk, CEO and founder of Heliene, a solar panel manufacturer based in Canada, stated that regardless of Trump stating that coal is coming back, investors will invest their money in what the data shows is bringing the best return, and solar power is becoming the fastest-growing fuel, according to the Guardian. 

White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers said in a statement: “The President has reversed the Left’s devastating policies, saved the American coal industry, prevented the retirement of more than 17 gigawatts of power, and saved lives during heightened demand periods.”

Seia said that while Trump is trying to bring back the coal industry to its original power, solar has been the top source for new power for five years. Both Seia and Wood Mackenzie stated that solar and battery storage were almost the only energy resources being built in the first quarter, and made up 91% of all new generating capacity.

heat

Extreme Heatwave In Europe Is ‘A Brutal Reminder’ Of Climate Crisis, UN Chief States 

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The United Nations climate chief recently stated that the extreme early heat events taking over parts of western Europe have become a “brutal reminder of the spiraling impacts of the climate crisis.” This month, both France and the United Kingdom set new temperature records on two consecutive days. 

Simon Stiell is the executive secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and this week he said that the “main culprit” of the climate crisis is humanity’s burning of oil, coal, and gas. 

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“The science is clear that human-induced climate change is making these heatwaves more frequent and extreme.”

France, Spain, and the UK have been reaching temperatures that are, on average, only seen in July and/or August.  

“Protecting human lives, businesses and economies from extreme heat and the many other soaring costs of climate change is core business for every nation, and it starts with kicking the fossil fuel addiction much faster.”

Other reports have shown that the war in the Middle East has greatly impacted the “soaring costs” of fossil fuels, and led to a need to move to cleaner sources of energy. Stiell also pointed out that India has experienced nearly 110 degrees Fahrenheit conditions which have led to deaths from heatstroke. 

The UK’s Met Office stated that Kew Gardens in London recorded a temperature of 92.2 degrees Fahrenheit, breaking the record for highest temperature in May, which was set the day before. The readings also surpassed a previous record of 91.04 degrees Fahrenheit which was set in 1922, and again in 1944. 

France experienced local highs of 102.2 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday, and recorded their hottest day in May ever on Tuesday when the national heat index, an average of 30 readings around the nation, hit 76.64 degrees Fahrenheit, according to reports from the Guardian. 

Météo-France, the national weather service, stated that a “heat dome,” which causes heat to be held in place by a high-pressure weather front, was producing temperatures up to 55.4 degrees higher than what is usual for this time of year. 

17 out of 96 of France’s administrative departments, including Paris, were placed on an orange high temperature alert for Thursday, the second highest level. This alert level requires the nation’s population to be “very vigilant and take precautions.” Another 29 were placed on the more moderate yellow warning. 

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Scientists have stated that as the world continues to warm, extreme heat events that are typically exclusive to the peak of summer are becoming both more frequent and intense, and are happening earlier and later into the year. 

Peter Thorne, the director of climate research at Maynooth University in Ireland, said: “We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change arising from our emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases.”

“Nevertheless, many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy.”

This week, French authorities reported at least seven deaths that were directly and indirectly connected to the high temperatures. Five of these deaths were drownings, as many people were seeking out swimming spots to cool off. Authorities in Britain stated that four teenagers have also drowned in England since Sunday. 

Spain is reporting temperatures could hit 104 degrees Fahrenheit this week. These reports led to the Basque Country being placed on an orange weather alert.

Aemet, Spain’s state meteorological office, said that temperatures typically experienced in July have already been recorded across the country. Rubén del Campo, a spokesperson for Aemet, said that the heat was “more characteristic of the dog days, the hottest period of the year.”

“Both this episode and the atmospheric pattern that’s causing it are part and parcel of climate change and of what’s been observed in recent years.” 

heatwave

Europe’s Record-Breaking Spring Heat Wave Signals A Dangerous New Normal

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A blistering early-season heat wave has pushed parts of Europe into dangerous and record-breaking territory, with extreme temperatures arriving weeks before the continent typically sees its hottest weather.

The heat has already been linked to deaths, water shortages, wildfires and warnings from scientists that the event is another stark example of how climate change is reshaping normal weather patterns.

France has been among the countries hit hardest. Its national weather service, Météo-France, described the conditions as “unprecedented” for this time of year, with Monday becoming the country’s hottest May day ever recorded. Temperatures were breaking May records across the country, with readings climbing above 86 degrees Fahrenheit (30 degrees Celsius) in many areas and expected to continue throughout the week.

There have been “seven deaths directly or indirectly linked to the heat, including at least five from drowning, as well as deaths related to extreme heat during sports events,” stated Maud Bregeon, a French government spokesperson, according to CNN.

On Sunday, a 53-year-old man died while taking part in a running event in Paris, while a woman died during a Hyrox sports event in Lyon, the Associated Press reported.

Le Parisien reported that the Paris runner suffered a heart attack during the race in the city’s 20th arrondissement and could not be revived by firefighters. Temperatures in Paris reached around 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius) that afternoon.

Authorities have not yet confirmed whether those deaths were caused by the heat. But France’s Minister of Sports, Marina Ferrari, appeared to connect the incidents to the extreme temperatures, saying the deaths were “a stark reminder that practicing sports in extreme heat requires absolute vigilance.” Ferrari also posted condolences online to the runner’s loved ones and said her thoughts were with others who had been treated by emergency services.

At the French Open in Paris, the heat was also felt on the court and in the stands, with players competing in stifling conditions as spectators tried to cool down under misting sprays.

The United Kingdom has also seen extraordinary temperatures. On Monday, the country recorded its hottest May day on record, with temperatures reaching 94.6 degrees Fahrenheit (34.8 degrees Celsius) at Kew Gardens in London. The reading broke the previous May record by 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit, or 2 degrees Celsius. The previous record, 91.4 degrees Fahrenheit (32.8 degrees Celsius), was set in 1922 and matched again in 1944.

The same reading also provisionally marked the hottest temperature ever recorded in the UK during meteorological spring, which runs from March through May.

That record did not last long. On Tuesday, temperatures rose further to 95 degrees Fahrenheit (35 degrees Celsius). By comparison, the average high temperature in London in late May is around 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).

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Across the UK, average May highs are closer to 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius), underscoring how far outside normal spring conditions the heat has been.

The heat also offered little relief overnight. The UK experienced a “tropical night,” meaning temperatures did not drop below 68 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius).

While these numbers may seem moderate compared with those in hotter parts of the world, they can be deeply uncomfortable and dangerous in the UK. Most homes are not designed to withstand intense heat, and only about 5% have air conditioning. A report released last week by the UK’s Climate Change Committee warned that the country was “built for a climate that no longer exists.”

The timing has also raised concerns for schools, which are currently on midterm break. If the heat continues, some schools may have to consider measures such as relaxing uniform rules or moving exams into cooler rooms.

The UK Health Security Agency also issued its first amber heat-health alert of the year, warning that deaths could rise, especially among older people, during the hottest parts of the day. The agency said the second-highest alert level could bring significant strain across health and social care services. People with chronic conditions, including hypertension and kidney disease, are considered especially vulnerable during extreme heat.

As temperatures surged on Monday, a wildfire broke out near Arthur’s Seat, a hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. In southeast England, hundreds of properties were left without water after a spike in demand.

Across the UK, residents and tourists sought relief in parks, on beaches, and anywhere they could find shade as the heat coincided with a holiday.

Climate change is making it more likely that May temperature records will be broken, Stephen Dixon, a Met Office spokesperson, told CNN.

“While we do occasionally have warm spells in May, what we’re seeing now is unprecedented. What was around a 1-in-100-year event is now around a 1-in-33-year event.”

The same heat system is affecting much of Western Europe, where temperatures this week are running 18 to 27 degrees Fahrenheit (10 to 15 degrees Celsius) above normal.

Spain is also seeing “extraordinarily high temperatures for the time of year,” according to the country’s weather agency, AEMET. In southern Spain, temperatures are forecast to climb to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) in the latter half of the week.

In Valladolid, outdoor tables that would typically be full sat largely empty as people avoided the sun, while Madrid residents braced for weather that felt more like midsummer than late spring.

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Behind the extreme heat is a powerful heat dome sitting over the continent. A heat dome is a long-lasting high-pressure system that acts like a lid on a pot, trapping hot air and pushing it downward. These systems can linger for days or weeks, intensifying heat and making it harder for cooler air to move in.

Scientists say these kinds of events are becoming more frequent and intense due to human-caused climate change. The burning of fossil fuels releases planet-heating gases that wrap around the Earth, raising global temperatures and supercharging heat waves.

Richard Betts, head of climate impacts research at the Met Office and a professor at the University of Exeter, told BBC News today’s heat waves are landing on top of an already hotter baseline.

“When we have a heatwave, it’s happening more severely, because it’s on top of a warming climate. I’ve been a climate scientist for 33 years, and we’re seeing exactly the kinds of things that we were warning back then… [although] these records are perhaps more extreme and coming sooner than we had expected.”

Heat is one of the clearest signals of the climate crisis, and Europe is warming faster than any other continent on the planet.

“We know beyond a shadow of a doubt that heat wave events such as this have been made more likely and more severe due to climate change,” said Peter Thorne, director of ICARUS Climate Research Centre at Maynooth University, Ireland. “But nevertheless, many of the records being set, particularly in the UK and France, are mind-bogglingly crazy,” he added.

The danger is not hypothetical. During 2024, the hottest year ever recorded globally, more than 62,000 people in Europe died from heat-related causes.

Parts of Asia have also been enduring dangerous temperatures, with daytime readings above 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) across central and northern India in recent weeks. In Pakistan, temperatures were forecast to remain up to 10.8 degrees Fahrenheit (6 degrees Celsius) above seasonal averages.

Scientists are warning that even more extreme heat is likely in the years and decades ahead. The emerging El Niño, a natural climate pattern that can push global temperatures higher than usual, could make 2026 and 2027 even hotter.

Experts say the broader pattern is part of a new level of weather volatility, with deadly extremes increasingly occurring at unusual times of year and in places not accustomed to them.

weather

Brace for a Dramatic Forecast Shift: Record Heat in the West, Winter’s Return in the East

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A sharp and unusual shift in weather patterns is set to sweep across the United States, bringing a striking split of an intense, record-breaking heat in the West and a renewed blast of winter in the East.

The change is being driven by a powerful atmospheric setup that will likely persist for up to two weeks. A strong ridge of high pressure, often called a “heat dome,” is expected to settle over the western half of the country, allowing temperatures to surge well above seasonal norms. At the same time, the jet stream will dip southward on the eastern side of that ridge, funneling cold Canadian air into the Midwest and East.

The result will be a pronounced case of weather whiplash. Areas that recently experienced springlike warmth will soon return to much colder conditions, with the possibility of additional snowfall through mid-to-late March.

Cities that climbed into the 70s and 80s earlier this week are expected to cool dramatically, with highs dropping into the 30s and 40s. Washington, DC, for example, reached 84 degrees on Tuesday but is forecast to fall into the 50s over the weekend and into the 40s early next week. Parts of the Northeast, which also saw temperatures in the 70s, could face multiple chances for snow over the next five to seven days.

The chill may extend as far south as Florida, where some areas could see overnight lows in the 50s this weekend, with a further drop into the 40s early next week. While the East braces for a late-season cold snap, the situation in the West is expected to be far more extreme and potentially dangerous.

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Forecasters say the heat wave will dominate headlines beginning Thursday and could persist for at least two weeks. Numerous locations across the region are likely to challenge or break all-time March temperature records.

The National Weather Service has issued warnings, particularly for the Southwest, urging residents to prepare for unusually intense and long-lasting heat. In Phoenix, temperatures could reach 100 degrees, the earliest ever recorded, more than 10 days ahead of the current record.

“Given the unprecedented length and magnitude of this extreme heat wave, heat stress will be increasing each day.”

Extreme heat is the leading weather-related cause of death in the contiguous United States each year, underscoring the risks posed by early-season temperature spikes.

Beyond the immediate dangers, the heat wave is expected to worsen already concerning environmental conditions. Snowpack across the West is significantly below average, and the surge in temperatures will accelerate melting, raising alarms about water availability later in the year and the potential for an intense wildfire season.

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Speaking about the West, University of California climate scientist Daniel Swain stated the outlook for snowpack is especially dire in states like Colorado and Utah, which are on track to set record lows.

“We’re going to get to April first, and we’re going to see some very scary snowpack numbers essentially everywhere.”

Southern California, in particular, could see temperatures soaring 20 to 30 degrees above average during the next two weeks, according to the National Weather Service.

This event comes on the heels of an already exceptional season. The West just experienced its warmest meteorological winter on record, with several states setting all-time highs for winter temperatures.

Scientists note that climate change is increasing the likelihood, duration, and intensity of heat waves and is likely contributing to the region’s record-breaking winter warmth.

Seasonal patterns themselves are also shifting. Winter is warming faster than any other season across much of the United States, and spring is arriving earlier in many regions, with the final freeze occurring sooner than in the past.

For now, however, the immediate story is of a country divided between early-summer heat and a lingering grip of winter, all unfolding at once.

shipping

Expedited Shipping Is Increasing Gas Emissions In The US 

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In today’s modern world of online shopping, consumers have the option to get their goods delivered within days, and even hours now. With that increased convenience comes consequences, however, as drivers are making multiple trips in the same areas daily in the US, increasing gas emissions and further driving the devastating impact of climate change.

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emissions

2025 Will Likely Go Down As The Second Or Third Hottest Year In History

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According to new data from the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), 2025 is set to become the world’s second or third hottest year on record, and will potentially be surpassing 2024’s record-breaking heat. 

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The date from C3S follows last month’s COP30 climate summit in which world governments couldn’t come to an agreement regarding taking substantial new measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. As the US continues to rollback its efforts to combat climate change, other countries are also weakening their measures to cut CO2 emissions, Reuters reports.

In their monthly bulletin, C3S stated that 2025 will also likely top-off the first three-year period in which the average global temperature exceeded 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above the pre-industrial period when humans began burning fossil fuels at the industrial scale.

“These milestones are not abstract – they reflect the accelerating pace of climate change,” said Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at C3S.

In addition, the Earth experienced a multitude of extreme weather events and disasters. Recently Typhoon Kalmaegi killed over 200 people in the Philippines and Spain suffered its worst wildfires in 30 years due to weather conditions that scientists stated were made more likely by climate change. 

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2024 was Earth’s hottest year on record. 

Scientists have documented a clear heating trend in global temperatures over time, and they even confirmed that the main cause of global warming is greenhouse gas emissions from the continuous and increased burning of fossil fuels. 

The World Meteorological Organization stated at the beginning of this year that the past decade has been the ten hottest years since weather records first began. 

It’s been reported that the global threshold of 1.5 Celsius is the limit of warming which nations around the world vowed to try to prevent under the 2015 Paris climate agreement. This agreement was made in order to avoid the worst consequences of climate change. 

While the Earth has not breached that exact target, which refers to an average global temperature of 1.5 Celsius over decades, the UN stated that this year the goal can no longer realistically be met. The world’s governments have been urged to cut their CO2 emissions more efficiently and quickly. 

climate change

Combatting World Governments Push That Climate Action Is Economically Bad

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Zoe Daniel is an Australian former journalist and politician who is working to combat the narrative that taking action against climate change is bad for the economy.

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smog

“Delhi Is a Death Trap”: Frustration and Fear Boil Over as Pollution Chokes India’s Capital

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The police came before the protesters. In the days leading up to Sunday’s demonstration against Delhi’s toxic air, officers knocked on doors and flooded phones with warnings. Organizers were told to stay home or risk arrest.

Saurav Das, 26, was one of the many who refused to back down. Diagnosed with allergic bronchitis from the city’s filthy air, he told The Guardian that he had used social media to call for peaceful action at India Gate.

While nearly 400 citizens turned out in droves, including mothers with strollers, retirees in masks, and students clutching handmade signs, police had already cordoned off the memorial.

Within hours, nearly 100 protesters, including children and the elderly, were detained and held late into the night. By Monday morning, a criminal case had been filed against the organizers.

“We wanted to gather peacefully at India Gate to send a message, loud and clear, that people are fed [up] by failed policies and government apathy that have failed to combat air pollution. Instead, we were met with unnecessary brute force.”

Delhi’s government has changed, but the air hasn’t. Earlier this year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took control of the Delhi state government after years of opposition rule. Many hoped the new alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s national administration would finally bring unified action against the crisis. Instead, Delhiites say the air has only worsened.

Critics accuse the BJP of downplaying pollution data and weakening restrictions. During Diwali, officials allowed “green” fireworks — a decision that triggered one of the most polluted festival seasons in years.

Opponents claim authorities even halted air-quality reports and sprayed water on monitoring stations to artificially lower the numbers. The BJP denied tampering, calling the charges “politically motivated,” and blamed its predecessors for the smog.

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Its most expensive experiment, a multimillion-rupee attempt to seed clouds and make it rain, failed to yield results. Meanwhile, the government’s public message has remained largely unchanged: stay indoors, buy purifiers, and wait for the weather to improve.

“We have reached severe and hazardous levels of pollution, but the GRAP measures have not been implemented,” said Delhi-based environmental activist Bhavreen Kandhari.

GRAP refers to the Graded Response Action Plan, which was partially put into place to address air pollution in Delhi and its suburbs. Currently, the second level of the action plan is in place, which reduces the use of diesel generators and the burning of coal and firewood.

Despite worsening air quality, the third stage of the action plan, GRAP III, has yet to be implemented. It would also prohibit all non-essential building activity and the use of diesel vehicles in Delhi.

“This is about our children…My children will live 10 years less than their cousins [in other cities] who breathe cleaner air. We still have hope, and that’s why we are here.”

Delhi’s annual suffocation has become a ritual. For over a decade, Delhi has carried the grim distinction of being the world’s most polluted city. Every autumn, as temperatures drop and the wind dies, a familiar haze rolls over the capital. The so-called pollution season can linger four months or more, turning the skyline into a ghostly blur.

The culprits are no mystery: car exhaust from tens of millions of vehicles, crop-burning by farmers in neighboring states, coal-fired power plants, and open fires used to burn trash or simply keep warm.

In November, air quality readings climbed to more than 100 times the safe limit set by global health agencies. Pollution now kills more people in Delhi than diabetes or obesity.

“Any other city breathing this air would have declared a health emergency by now,” said Gopesh Singh, 58.

“How many more millions of people have to die for the government to act?”

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Sunday’s protest was one of the few public demonstrations over Delhi’s air crisis in years and was meant to be symbolic. The India Gate location honors India’s fallen soldiers, but the irony wasn’t lost on participants who found themselves fighting a different kind of war.

By dusk, the famous monument had vanished behind an opaque brown curtain of smog. The Air Quality Index hit 500, ten times the threshold considered hazardous. “Delhi is not a liveable city anymore, it’s a death trap,” said Radhika Aggarwal, 33, an engineer.

“As I stand here, I’m breathing air that I know is killing me. But we see nothing but a failure by the government to do anything to stop this and clean up the pollution. No policies, no real action. So I’m here to fight for my city.”

Children stood beside their mothers, holding signs that read, “Breathing Is Killing Me.” Nearby, birds flew low through the haze — one of the few visible signs of life against the fading orange light.

Delhi’s 30 million residents have learned to adapt to the unthinkable. Those with money seal their homes with air purifiers or flee to cleaner states. Everyone else simply copes. Clean air has become a luxury commodity, as inaccessible to most as a beachfront vacation.

“I can’t breathe in this city anymore, I can’t take a walk without getting a terrible headache,” said Sofie, 33. “It feels like there aren’t enough masks in the world to make this air breathable.”

For many, the suffocation is both physical and psychological. Pollution has become so normalized that outrage often gives way to fatalism. This year, however, something cracked.

Delhi’s minister of environment, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, stated that the government was taking all possible steps to address the issue.

“We have installed anti-smog guns in all high-rise buildings, dust mitigation is being done across the city through water sprinklers, all construction sites are being monitored, and we have increased electric vehicles in Delhi’s fleet of public buses.”

Regardless, as the crowd at India Gate dispersed under police watch on Sunday night, the sense that Delhi is running out of time hung in the air thicker than the smog.

marathon

Global Warming Is Making Major Marathon Events More Dangerous 

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In a new study from Climate Central, rising temperatures caused by global warming around the world is making major marathon events more dangerous, and is preventing elite athletes from breaking records, and recreational runners from hitting their goals. 

The report analyzed 221 races, and it found that 86% of them were less likely to have optimal racing conditions for runners by 2045. This data includes last week’s New York City Marathon and six other major marathons around the world in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Chicago, Boston, and Sydney. 

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“We’ve seen time and time again where athletes are passing out from dehydration and heat exhaustion during races and taking months to recover,” Scottish distance runner Mhairi Maclennan told CNN Sports.

“It has really significant impacts on the thickness of your blood, on how quickly your body is able to recover, on your hydration levels for days, and also your ability to train after that kind of experience, which can then delay other achievements and goals that you’re pursuing.”

The study reported that the optimal temperature for elite male marathon runners is 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) and 48 degrees F (9 degrees Celsius) for elite women.

The Tokyo Marathon this year had a 69% chance of optimal race day temperatures for elite men, the study showed, and the odds are expected to decline to 57% within the next 20 years. The Boston Marathon’s odds are also expected to drop from 61% to 53%, and London’s is expected to go from 22% to 17%. 

For elite women, the likelihood of optimal conditions is expected to decrease at five of the seven major marathons by 2045. 

Copernicus, a climate monitoring agency, released data that showed 2024 was the hottest year on record; 34.88 Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) warmer than the period before humans began burning large amounts of fossil fuels.

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Higher temperatures cause greater stress to be placed on the body, especially during exercise in high humidity conditions. This makes hydration even more important throughout a marathon. 

“Some of the exceptional heat experienced at the 2025 Berlin and Tokyo Marathons pushed temperatures far beyond peak performance conditions,” said Maclennan.

“That’s difficult because at the end of the day, sport is a business, and it generates revenue from spectators, and if spectators are there to see fast performances and that’s not happening because of climate change, that’s an issue for the sector.”

“We have marathons in the spring and in the autumn in the northern hemisphere, because those are the times when we get the good, cool temperatures that you need for good running performance,” Andrew Pershing, who leads the Climate Central science team and worked on the new study, told CNN Sports.

“As the climate warms, if you have a race that happens at the same week every year, that good climate is moving past you and it’s moving away. Those good conditions are becoming less and less frequent.”

Organizers could start scheduling earlier start times for races as a solution. Maclennan then said that the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles will likely cause athletes from all over the world to acclimatize. 

“The same is true for any competition where the environment is different to what you train in. There is consideration to be made into how you adapt and how you train your body to compete in those conditions.”