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summer

How To Stay Safe While Traveling During Another Record-Breaking Hot Summer 

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This summer is set to break records yet again when it comes to extremely high temperatures. During peak travel season, experts are giving their best advice on how to stay safe and ensure travelers still enjoy their much deserved vacations. 

A developing El Nino event could cause temperatures to continue to rise this summer, later in the year, and next summer as well. Life-threatening heat exhaustion and stroke are some of the biggest concerns for travelers. 

Dr. Alexander Azan, who co-directs the Project HEATWAVE initiative, discussed how travelers can take precautions to ensure they get the best out of their vacations while staying safe. 

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“The same way that we prepare for more extreme travel in the cold, we should start to consider those tips to keep us safe in the summer months.”

Azan continued to advise that before you leave for your trip, check the air temperatures for both day and night, as well as the heat index as that takes humidity into account. 

It’s important to remain flexible when it comes to your schedule as well. When the temperatures do get to that higher level, prioritize spending time in cooler areas along the coast or at higher elevations depending on where you are. Any strenuous outdoor activities like hiking or walking tours should be scheduled for early morning or late evening hours while indoor activities should be planned for the middle of the day. 

Where you stay is always an integral part of any good trip, so for the hot summer months be sure to find a spot with reliable conditioning and research the area to see if they often get weather that could cause a power outage. If you’re traveling to a country you’ve never been before, research important facilities such as hospitals as well. 

Ashley Ward, the director of the Heat Policy Innovation Hub at Duke University, advises that if you’re someone who has a medical condition or takes medication, be sure to stay extra vigilant in terms of preparing your body, as it could be even more vulnerable to the heat during your travels. 

“A lot of the prescription drugs that we take for common conditions like high blood pressure, anxiety, depression, they actually interrupt our body’s ability to thermoregulate,” she said. 

She also emphasized that older adults, pregnant individuals, young children, and infants are also vulnerable, so plan with your body in mind.

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Adithi Ramakrishnan and Aya Diab of AP recommend packing a reusable water bottle, light/breathable clothing, sunscreen, sunglasses, a wide-brimmed hat, cooling towel, and portable fan as some essentials to keep on your list as well. 

For those opting for a summer road trip, ensure that you get your vehicle inspected a few weeks beforehand to make sure everything is in good condition and your engine’s cooling system is in top tier shape. Keep your car cool by parking in shaded areas and take plenty of breaks to stretch, hydrate, and eat to keep energy levels up. 

AAA senior automotive manager David Bennett also highly recommends never driving on less than a quarter tank of gas to ensure there’s no chane of you getting stuck in the heat in an unknown area. 

 It’s important to also be educated on the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke so if the worst does happen, you can recognize it early and get help quicker. Spending long periods of time outdoors while participating in intense activities or consuming heavy amounts of alcohol can increase the risk as well, so be diligent. 

“People often get into trouble when they ignore both environmental conditions and the warning signals their bodies are giving them. They think they can push through. That is a mistake,” Ward said.

Dizziness, nausea, muscle cramps, excessive sweating with cool and clammy skin are all signs to be on the look out for. If symptoms worsen and turn into slurred speech, passing out, confusion, or feeling hot to the touch, seek help immediately as it could be a sign of heat stroke. 

The most important thing that you can do as a traveler during extreme heat events is to listen to your body and remain as hydrated as possible. 

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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.

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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.”

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Thousands Under Evacuation Notice In California And Oregon Amid Intense Wildfires

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Thousands of homes and their residents in northern California and central Oregon entered evacuation orders as firefighting crews continue to battle wildfires in dry, hot weather. The Pickett fire has burned through more than 6,800 acres of Napa county, and was only 13% contained by Monday morning, according to the California department of forestry and fire protection (Cal Fire). 

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Around 150 people were ordered to leave their homes with another 360 under evacuation warnings. Reports show that the wildfires are threatening around 500 structures near Aetna Springs and Pope Valley, which is 80 miles north of San Francisco, according to Cal Fire spokesperson Jason Clay. 

In Oregon, the Flat fire in Deschutes and Jefferson counties has around 4,000 homes under various levels of evacuation notice, including 1,000 homes ordered to leave immediately, according to the state fire marshal’s office. 

Officials stated that firefighters were able to cut containment lines and suppress fires in some residential areas, however, they’re finding it difficult to combat the fires on more vulnerable terrains with low humidity and triple-digit temperatures. 

More than 1,230 firefighters with 10 helicopters are working to battle the California fire which initially began on Thursday last week after seven days of extremely hot temperatures. There is no known cause of the fire at the moment or where it began. 

Western US residents have been combating major heatwaves and an intense wildfire season. Residents have been hospitalized throughout California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, and Arizona. 

When the heatwaves subside, officials say that the risks will continue as these areas have minimal moisture, increasing the danger for more fires in the coming month and into October. 

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In parts of Nevada, California, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and Wyoming, risks are also increased by vegetation that are dangerously dry and overgrown. 

The heat alone bakes moisture out of already dehydrated landscapes, increasing the potential for ignitions, rapid fire spread, and threats to public health. Extreme heat is often referred to as the “silent killer” and is the most lethal weather-related disaster in the US. 

Heatwaves throughout the US are getting longer, larger, and more intense due to climate change which is intensified by concrete city landscapes. 

The Pickett fire began in the same area as the Glass fire in 2020, which entered into Sonoma county and burned around 105 square miles and more than 1,500 structures. 

The Oregon fire is in a high desert climate where dried vegetation, grasses, and juniper trees are burning rapidly, causing the fire to spread throughout canyon areas “where it is challenging to create containment lines,” said Jason Carr, Deschuted county sheriff’s spokesman. 

The fire has been growing due to hot and gusty wind conditions. Fire officials are also looking out for isolated thunderstorms, specifically in southern Oregon which could travel north, according to state fire marshals spokesman Chris Schimmer.

“If we get thunderstorms that roll through, it can … cause the fire to jump [containment] lines,” said Carr.

Firefighters are keeping a close eye on the fires and working hard to combat them to prevent spreading.

weather

US To Experience Another Summer Of Extreme Heat As Trump Administration Cuts Key Agencies 

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This summer is already set to be one of the hottest on record in the United States. With worsening weather conditions and a multitude of extreme climate events, the US is preparing the best they can for the coming months. 

While preparation measures are in place, there is major concern over the lingering impacts of the Trump Administration cutting funding for key agencies that assist the nation for these conditions. Funding and staff for federal science, forecasting resources, and disaster response agencies have been cut drastically throughout the US, which could leave many citizens vulnerable. 

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According to the latest forecast from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the extreme heat this summer will be “widespread.” Many parts of America have already begun to feel the impact in these beginning weeks of summer. 

The NOAA reported that throughout the spring this year there was a lack of precipitation. That combined with high temperatures and dry conditions could lead to increased levels of drought and wildfires this summer. 

Trump’s “Department of Government Efficiency” has made major cuts to the National Weather Service, specifically in Texas where the Houston office for the service has been left understaffed and without any permanent leadership, according to reports from the Guardian. 

Despite the fact that the US, and the world, has been continuously left susceptible to threatening weather conditions, federal science agencies like NOAA have been forced to operate at a reduced capacity and without proper funding. 

These cuts have led to hundreds of meteorologists leaving the National Weather Service. Now, Americans are turning to their local and state officials for guidance when it comes to handling heat and extreme weather. Non-profits and universities have also become a reliable source of information when it comes to handling our changing climate. 

From Rice University in Houston, climate scientist Sylvia Dee and her colleagues have described the major heat we’ve experienced as a “slow violence” against humanity. Climate change as a whole is a major threat to our health. Air pollution combined with extreme weather creates an environment that will become unsustainable for a healthy life. 

“There’s just so many things that center around heat stress. Extreme heat can hijack our brain’s ability to think clearly. Those executive functions like decision-making and inhibition and sequencing tasks, they all become harder,” Adrienne Heinz, a clinical research psychologist at Stanford University, said to reporters. 

“It becomes like walking through mud. It affects your ability to learn if you’re a student or your ability to perform if you’re an employee. It doesn’t leave anything untouched, really.”

The NOAA reports that excessive heat levels are the leading cause of weather-related deaths in the US. According to a 2024 report published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, heat-related deaths in the US have increased by 117% since 1999. 

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Dee has stated that Texas is a prime example of what the US should look at to see the devastating impacts of climate change. 

“I feel like Houston is ground zero for climate change. I think there’s some level of frustration amongst us because, you know, we have been living through these conditions for many years,” she said. 

“We’re going to have more people in harm’s way. The exposure of Houstonians to weather and climate disasters will only increase. We’re very overwhelmed and trying desperately to sound the alarm.”

Heinz emphasized these points regarding the current, and worsening, impacts that our climate conditions have on human health. 

“These prolonged heat waves affect sleep, the cornerstone of our mental health. Our ability to weather adversity and emotionally regulate is compromised when we’re not getting good sleep.”

With staffing and funding cuts, it’s unclear how much federal bodies will be able to prepare and respond to extreme weather such as heat emergencies. 

An anonymous climate scientist from the Department of Energy said: 

“It’s pretty scary. Summers are only getting hotter, and wildfire seasons have been getting longer and more intense for years. These disruptions to federal science infrastructure and emergency response capacity come at the worst possible time.”

As a means of combatting the removal of necessary protections and funding from the Trump administration, many heat-prone cities and states, such as Arizona, California, and Nevada, have written and passed legislation, regulations, and ordinances to create a baseline for combatting extreme heat, and climate change in general. 

Mandy Ikert, the head of climate resilience with C40, an international group of cities working together on climate issues, said “with the health, safety, and economic impacts of extreme weather increasing, mayors know that inaction is not an option.” 

“Cities are taking a broad range of approaches to help their residents stay safe during the heat season, including investing in cooling centers, increased communication to residents, and new policies to make buildings and the people inside them safer.”

heat

Hospitals In Italy’s Popular Tourist Cities Reporting Increase In Heat-Related Illnesses

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Hospitals in some of Italy’s most popular tourist cities have reported an increase in the number of people needing emergency care for heat-related illnesses. The nation, like many parts of the world, has been experiencing extreme heat waves that has not deterred tourists from visiting. 

Since the middle of June, Italy has been enduring consecutive heat waves with some central and southern areas reporting predicted temperatures of up to 104 degrees fahrenheit. 

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On Monday, the health ministry put 17 cities on red alert, which means even healthy people can be at risk from the heat. Individuals located in any of the cities that are on red alert are advised to stay out of direct sunlight between 11 am and 6 pm. 

The president of Italian society of emergency medicine, Fabio De Iaco, told Italian news publication Corriere della Sera that as the heat has intensified, there has been a 20% rise in the amount of individuals accessing emergency care for heat-related illnesses in cities like Rome, Florence, Venice, and Naples specifically. 

In Rome there have been multiple cases of people fainting from the heat in St. Peter’s Square or while gathering in other popular tourist destinations like the Trevi fountain. 

“Most of the people requiring care were elderly and suffering from other illnesses,” Dr. Pierpaolo Ciocchetti, the director of the emergency department at the Fatebenefratelli hospital in central Rome, said. 

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“But younger people should not underestimate the effects of the heat,” he told Corriere della Sera. He advised people “not to go to emergency units with illnesses that could be managed at home, adding that hospital admissions for Covid had also been increasing,” according to the Guardian. 

Luckily most of the cases of heat-related illnesses have been resolved through rehydration, and only about 1-2% have required hospitalizations. 

Four individuals unfortunately passed away in Italy throughout July due to illnesses relating to the extreme heat in the nation. The Guardian reported that last week a 26-year-old had to endure an emergency liver transplant at a hospital in Turin after she collapsed from heat stroke while working on a farm. 

“The heat is not deterring tourists, with the number of foreign visitors to Italy estimated to be 2.5% higher than in 2023. In July and August, most major cities are filled with tourists while Italians escape to the beach or mountains. However, with sea temperatures also topping 30C, it is difficult to find respite from the heat even along the coast,” wrote Angela Giuffrida, the Guardian’s Rome correspondent

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Madrid Helping Residents And Visitors Cool Down Amid Climate Crisis With Engaging Cultural Displays 

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Summer temperatures have been impacting the entire world in recent weeks. In Spain’s capital of Madrid, temperatures have been hitting 106 degrees (F), making it uncomfortable for residents and visitors throughout the day. Now, in a new program called Refúgiate En La Cultura (Take Shelter in Culture), people can cool off from the summer heat in multiple air conditioned museums while being presented with amazing cultural displays.

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melting

Swiss Glaciers Have Lost 10% Of Their Volume In The Last Two Years

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Swiss glaciers have lost 10% of their volume in two years, a report has found. The analysis from the Swiss Academy of Sciences have credited climate change as the reasoning behind the accelerated melting. 

The scientists have claimed that the burning of fossil fuels is the main cause of the unusually hot summers and winters with low snow levels that we’ve experienced in recent years. The overall hotter temperatures have led to glaciers all over the world experiencing accelerated melting. 

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According to the report, the volume lost in the Swiss glaciers between the summers of 2022 and 2023 equates to the volume lost between 1960 and 1990. 

The analysis also found that 4% of Switzerland’s total glacier volume disappeared last year, which marks the second biggest annual decline on record. The largest decline on record was in 2022 with a 6% drop. 

Experts have also stopped measuring certain glaciers and the amount of ice it’s lost due to the fact that their decline has been so rapid. Glacier Monitoring in Switzerland (Glamos), which keeps track of 176 glaciers, just recently stopped recording data for the St. Annafirn glacier in the central Swiss canton of Uri due to the fact that it’s mostly melted at this point. 

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Matthias Huss, the head of Glamos, stated:

“We just had some dead ice left. It’s a combination of climate change that makes such extreme events more likely, and the very bad combination of meteorological extremes. If we continue at this rate … we will see every year such bad years.” 

Small glaciers are disappearing from ice loss, and in order to stop these glaciers from melting, carbon emissions and the burning of fossil fuels must be halted. However, Huss stated that even if the world managed to “keep warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre industrial levels,” only one third of the glacier volume in Switzerland will remain. 

“All the small glaciers will be gone anyway, and the big glaciers will be much smaller. There will be some ice in the highest regions of the Alps and some glaciers that we can show to our grandchildren,” Huss stated.

coral

Florida Just Recorded The Hottest Ocean Temperatures In History 

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This summer has been breaking heat records all over the world. Most recently, Florida saw an ocean temperature reading of 101.1 degrees Fahrenheit on Monday, and 100.2 degrees on Sunday. The previous world record for hottest ocean temperature was 99.7 degrees in Kuwait Bay, according to a study from 2020. 

“This is shocking, it’s unprecedented, it’s actually quite frightening.” Stefanie Sekich, of the Surfrider Foundation, an ocean-protection advocacy group, told Yahoo News.

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July as a whole has seen the record for the hottest average global temperature broken multiple times as a result of climate change which has caused a multitude of heat waves across the country. 

The oceans have absorbed 90% of the increased heat from climate change, leading to global ocean surface temperatures to reach the highest temperature ever in 174 years of data. 

“These ocean temperatures over the globe have been increasing for the past month. In the North Atlantic, parts of Europe have seen the ocean temperature increase of 7 degrees [Fahrenheit] more than it usually is at this time of year,” Sekich said. 

One of the negative impacts to the ocean’s many ecosystems is coral bleaching, in the US specifically, Florida has been experiencing severe bleaching events since July. Coral bleaching occurs when the corals release algae due to warmer temperatures, causing the coral to turn white. 

On July 20th, the Coral Restoration Foundation reported that Sombrero Reef, near the Florida Keys, experienced a coral bleaching event with a 100% mortality rate. 

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“On July 20th, CRF teams visited Sombrero Reef, a restoration site we’ve been working at for over a decade. What we found was unimaginable — 100% coral mortality. We have also lost almost all the corals in the Looe Key Nursery in the Lower Keys,” said Phanor Montoya-Maya, restoration program manager at Coral Restoration Foundation, in a statement. 

“Sea grasses are another vital ecosystem, they’re an essential fish habitat, they’re the primary food source for manatees, which have been plummeting in recent years. Sea grasses are very vulnerable to warmer waters,” Chris Robbins, associate director of science at Oceans Conservancy, an environmental advocacy group, told Yahoo News.

“The last time we saw a massive seagrass die-off resulting from high water temperatures, high salinities, low oxygen was during the El Nino event in 2015, and of course we’re now in an El Nino event in 2023,” said Robbins.

When it comes to what we can do in order to improve, Sekich explained that “obviously, we need to get off fossil fuels. If we keep putting greenhouse gases into the atmosphere we’re going to keep seeing these effects of climate change.”

Robbins also explained how the state and federal governments need to take charge and implement policies and infrastructure investments to reduce pollution and decrease the use of fertilizer and upgrading wastewater systems.

“If and when these things happen, we’ll potentially need to reduce other stressors on these systems,” Robbins said.

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How To Help Your Pets And Wildlife Stay Cool During The Final Month Of Summer 

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Rising temperatures around the world are impacting pets and wildlife greatly this year. Pet owners are doing everything they can to keep their furry friends cool and safe for the remainder of the summer, but it’s important to think about the wildlife animals that are also enduring this heat. 

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is a wildlife conservatory based in the UK, which is currently experiencing heat waves and droughts due to the heat this summer. An RSPB spokesperson recently discussed the best tips for keeping pets and wildlife safe throughout the rest of this summer.

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Many water sources throughout the world have begun to dry up due to extreme temperatures, causing multiple species of wildlife to become dehydrated. 

“A garden pond, no matter what size, benefits wildlife all year long, but is especially necessary in the heat. But even a shallow dish of water will help,” the spokesperson explained. 

“Some animals and birds will want to bathe and cool down, others just to drink, so keep it topped up with clean water and refreshed daily. Add pebbles or some kind of ramp around the edge of any water source to help the smallest creatures climb in and out.”

Dry conditions also cause a lot of vital food sources to become scarce, so the RSPB recommends putting out small quantities of food for wildlife. 

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“Putting out fruit and seeds will help, in small quantities but often, to avoid it spoiling. A bowl of dog or cat food (not fish-based) at night will help small animals. It’s essential to keep anything clean that you’re putting out – whether it’s a feeder or an upturned bin lid of water, as diseases can spread rapidly with different animals using them and in the heat.” 

“We  advise giving bird feeders a clean once a week with soapy water and emptying bird baths daily,” the spokesperson continued. 

If you have the garden space, let plants and trees grow as much as possible to provide multiple shade options for wildlife and your pets. 

“Shade is great for us, for our pets and certainly for our wildlife. A log pile will help lots of creatures to find a cool corner, from tiny woodlice to frogs and toads, as will longer grass. Avoid pruning and tidying up areas where leaves and branches are providing more shade,” the spokesperson explained. 

For your pets at home, make sure you’re consistently providing fresh water. Ice cubes are a great “summer treat” for dogs as well. 

If you happen to find a wild bird or mammal that seems to be in distress due to the heat, contact your local wildlife rehabilitation center for the best possible care.