"Heat hell is worldwide," top climate advisory group warns
From CNN’s Niamh Kennedy
A man cools himself with a fan while browsing his phone on a hot day in Beijing, on July 16. Andy Wong/AP
Top United Kingdom-based climate advisory group, the Energy & Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), has stressed the “hell” of heat waves is being experienced worldwide.
“Heat waves in Europe have been given names from the underworld, but the heat hell is worldwide at the moment. These extremes are dangerous,” the head of the international program at the ECIU, Gareth Redmond-King, said Monday.
In Europe, last week’s "Cerberus" heat wave is making way for another, which Italian weather forecasters have named "Charon" — the ferryman in Greek mythology who carries souls to the underworld.
Meanwhile, parts of China and the United States have also been experiencing soaring temperatures, causing great discomfort for millions of people.
Redmond-King pointed to the “globalized” and interconnected nature of the climate crisis, highlighting how the extreme weather in southern Europe is also impacting countries such as the UK experiencing cooler weather.
Extreme heat and droughts and torrential rain have greatly hampered food production in “climate vulnerable” countries. Less vulnerable countries such as the UK that rely on these nations for exports will also suffer as a result, Redmond-King added.
“If we don’t halt heating at 1.5 degrees Celsius by getting to net zero and support the nations that supply our food to adapt to these extremes, then we’ll pay the price at the supermarket, in empty shelves and higher prices,” he warned.
1:40 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
Soaring temperatures to record rainfall: Asia reels as climate crisis takes hold
From CNN's Heather Chen
The world’s largest and most populous continent is reckoning with the deadly effects of extreme summer weather, as countries endure blistering heat waves and record monsoon rainfall, with governments warning residents to prepare for more to come.
This month torrential rains inundated parts of Japan, China, South Korea and India, upending the lives of millions and causing flash floods, landslides and power cuts. Record temperatures also led to a rise in heat-related illnesses, particularly among vulnerable communities such as the elderly.
South Korea: On Saturday, at least 13 people in the central South Korean city of Cheongju died after waters from a burst riverbank flooded an underpass, trapping vehicles, including a public bus. At least 41 people have died in South Korea in recent days and thousands more have been forced to evacuate their homes, as heavy downpours hit central and southern parts of the country. In response to the loss of life, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol called for an overhaul of the country’s approach to extreme weather.
Japan: In neighboring Japan, record rainfall in the southwest of the country resulted in devastating flooding that left at least six people dead, and many others missing. “It’s raining like never before,” a spokesman for Japan’s Meteorological Agency said in a statement. Heat waves have also struck parts of the country, with temperatures Monday rising to highs of 39.7 degrees Celsius (103 Fahrenheit) in the city of Kiryu, on Honshu island and 39.6 degrees Celsius in Hatoyama, Saitama prefecture.
India: The capital Delhi on July 10 marked its wettest July day in more than 40 years, according to authorities. The heavy downpours forced school closures and left many vulnerable without shelter. After suffering recent blistering heat waves in the north and east, thousands were then forced to flee severe flooding in northern states like Himachal Pradesh last week after heavy rains battered villages and turned roads into rivers. Red alerts, indicating the highest threat level, were issued for several northern states including Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Haryana.
China: On Monday, a weather station in northeastern China posted a record high temperature of 52.2 degrees Celsius (125 Fahrenheit) and more than five weather stations exceeded highs of 50 degrees Celsius (122 Fahrenheit) Monday – among the hottest in history. This follows a record hot summer in the capital Beijing, prompting officials to issue heat red alerts for two weeks. The world’s biggest polluter has also been experiencing downpours and flooding, particularly in the south.
World is looking at US and China for "leadership" on climate, John Kerry says
From CNN's Wayne Chang
John Kerry attends a meeting in Beijing on July 18. Florence Lo/AP
US climate envoy John Kerry said the world is looking at Washington and Beijing for “leadership” on the climate crisis, and expressed hope that his visit to China can be the start of a new kind of cooperation between both countries.
“Climate, as you know, is a global issue, not a bilateral issue. It’s a threat to all of humankind,” Kerry said Tuesday in his meeting with China’s top diplomat Wang Yi.
“Our hope is now that this can be the beginning of a new definition of cooperation and capacity to resolve the differences between us,” Kerry said, adding that while real differences exist between both sides, “we also know from experience, if we work at it, we can find the path ahead and ways that resolve these challenges.”
Wang then stressed the need for a “healthy, stable and sustainable bilateral relations” for climate change cooperation to go well.
“We hope the US can have reasonable, practical and positive policies towards China,” Wang told Kerry, adding that “as long as we conduct equal dialogues and communication in an equal way, I believe that we can find a proper solution to any problem.”
1:23 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
Extreme weather is "just the beginning" as climate crisis accelerates, expert says
From CNN's Helen Regan
As the human-caused climate crisis accelerates, scientists are clear that extreme weather events such as heat waves will only become more frequent and more intense.
Global temperatures have already risen 1.2 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial levels due to humans burning planet-heating fossil fuels.
“This is just the beginning,” said Simon Lewis, the chair of global change science at the University College London, in a statement. “Current policies globally have us hitting 2.7 degrees (Celsius) warming by 2100. That’s truly terrifying.”
Here's what experts are saying about the crisis:
Humanity will "have to adapt": Scientists agreed last year that "there is a rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable and sustainable future for all," Lewis said. "Deep, rapid and sustained cuts in carbon emissions to net zero can halt the warming, but humanity will have to adapt to even more severe heat waves in the future," he said.
"Uncharted territory": Last month was the planet’s hottest June on record by a substantial margin, according to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, accompanied by record high ocean temperatures and record low levels of Antarctic ice. The first week of July was the hottest week on record, according to preliminary data from the World Meteorological Organization, putting the planet into what Christopher Hewitt, WMO climate services director, described as “uncharted territory.”
Emissions continue: The biggest threat to climate change action is the world’s continued addiction to burning fossil fuels, which still make up more than 80% of the world’s energy and 75% of human-caused planet-heating pollution. Despite the International Energy Agency saying in 2021 that there can now be no new fossil fuel developments if the world is to meet climate commitments, governments are continuing to approve oil, gas and coal projects. And a recent report found the vast majority of the world’s biggest companies have done almost nothing in the past five years to cut their planet-heating pollution enough to avoid catastrophic climate change.
Holding polluters to account: The science has long been clear: to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis the world needs to stop burning fossil fuels. To do that, bold, global policies are needed and lawmakers must hold industry accountable for its role in perpetuating the crisis, according to scientists and advocates who recently spoke with CNN. Read more on how individuals can put pressure on corporations to address the climate emergency.
1:22 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
China should "step up to their responsibility" on the climate crisis, US official says
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN that China should "step up to their responsibility" to reduce emissions under the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and "should not be able hide behind any kind of claim that they're a developing nation.
The Paris Agreement, Sullivan said, "lays out that every country, including China, has a responsibility to reduce emissions and the world should step up and encourage, indeed, pressure China to take far more dramatic action to reduce emissions."
WATCH:
12:58 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
What extreme weather looks like around the world
From CNN staff
From searing heat to devastating floods and choking wildfires, millions of people around the world are battling extreme weather fueled by the human-caused climate crisis.
Canadian wildfire smoke is bringing unhealthy air across the northern tier of the United States this week, triggering air quality alerts for more than a dozen states from Montana to Vermont.
The plume was birthed from nearly 400 fires ignited in Canada’s province of British Columbia in the past week, nearly half of which were started by 51,000 lightning strikes from thunderstorms, the British Columbia Wildfire Service said.
Smoke rises from the Young Creek wildfire in Tweedsmuir Provincial Park, Canada, on July 16. BC Wildfire Service/Reuters
The searing heat wave in Italy has prompted authorities to add 20 cities — including Rome and Florence — to a “red alert” list, indicating emergency conditions where people will face a very high health risk due to the intense heat.
The Italian Island of Sardinia is expected to register record 48 degrees Celsius (118 degrees Fahrenheit) temperature on Tuesday, CNN’s affiliate Sky TG24 reported in their latest forecast.
A woman cools off at Fontana della Barcaccia in Rome, Italy, on July 17. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters
India has been hit by severe flooding and landslides during its monsoon season, with thousands forced to flee after heavy rains battered villages and turned roads into rivers.
The Yamuna River — a major waterway overflowing near India’s capital Delhi — reached the highest level on record, authorities said last week.
In this aerial view flooded houses are seen after the water level of the Yamuna River rose following heavy monsoon rains in New Delhi on July 14. Arun Sankar/AFP/Getty Images
Across the US, more than 90 million people are under heat advisories, including at least 50 million who have been under heat alerts for the past 10 days. There have been heat alerts for dangerously high temperatures in the Southwest — stretching from Texas to Arizona — for 38 consecutive days dating back to June 10.
And the streak is expected to continue across the region through at least July 28, with overnight temperatures providing very little relief, the National Weather Service warned.
A woman shields herself from the sunlight with a newspaper in Los Angeles on July 15. Damian Dovarganes/AP
Phoenix, Arizona, once again hit 110 degrees Monday for a record-tying 18th consecutive day at that temperature or higher.
The record is expected to be broken Tuesday as the streak continues, with temperatures of at least 115 degrees forecast for Phoenix every day through next weekend.
As the scorching triple-digit temperatures persist, there have been 12 confirmed heat related deaths recorded in Phoenix just for the first week of July, according to data from the Maricopa County Department of Public Health.
A billboard displays high temperatures in Phoenix, Arizona on July 16. Brandon Bell/Getty Images
1:04 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
World's largest and most populous continent is acutely vulnerable to climate crisis
From CNN's Heather Chen
People push their vehicles as they wade through a flooded road after heavy monsoon rain in Hyderabad, Pakistan on July 7. Stringer/Xinhua/Getty Images
Asia, with an estimated total population of 4.4 billion people, is acutely vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, with recent bouts of extreme weather resulting in water shortages, crop failures and an economic slow down.
That vulnerability was thrown into sharp focus last year when catastrophic flooding hit Pakistan, killing more than 1,700 people and leaving millions homeless.
The South Asian country is now dealing with its worst economic crisis in decades, worsened by inflation spiking because of the floods ruining last year’s harvests.
Neighboring India,the world’s most populous nation, is among the countries expected to be worst affected by the climate crisis, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), potentially affecting 1.4 billion people nationwide.
Double crisis of heat and flooding: After suffering recent blistering heat waves in the north and east, thousands were then forced to flee severe flooding in northern states like Himachal Pradesh last week after heavy rains battered villages and turned roads into rivers.
Every year, India is hit by severe flooding and landslides during the monsoon season, which drenches the country from June to September.
Northeastern Assam, a statewith a population of more than 31 million people, is among the worst hit.
More than 495,000 people spread across 22 districts were impacted by floodwaters and about 14,000 evacuated to relief camps when rain swept across the region. Disaster management officials and state authorities in late June reported at least 10 deaths since the rains began.
Poorest worst hit: The impact of such weather extremes is hard to miss and India’s poor are among the most vulnerable. Floods have posed a particular danger to the 35% of the population — roughly 472 million people — who live in urban slums, according to the World Bank.
Biggest polluters shouldn't "play politics" as climate crisis grips US and China, expert says
From CNN's Beijing bureau and Nectar Gan
John Kerry is greeted by Wang Yi before a meeting in Beijing on July 18. Florence Lo-Pool/Getty Images
Climate talks held this week between the United States and China send "a hopeful signal," according to Li Shuo, senior global policy adviser at Greenpeace China.
“Amid high heat in Beijing and much of the northern hemisphere, the long shut door of US-China climate engagement has been half opened," Li said. "The two major emitters are trying to get their climate talks back on track."
US climate envoy John Kerry met with China's top diplomat Wang Yi on Tuesday in Beijing, according to Chinese state broadcaster CGTN, as the world’s two biggest polluters resume long-stalled climate talks
Wang is the top foreign policy chief for the Chinese Communist Party and Chinese leader Xi Jinping's most senior foreign policy adviser.
As part of the three-day visit, Kerryhad a full day of discussions with his Chinese counterpart Xie Zhenhua in Beijing on Monday.
Li said both countries must continue efforts to work together on climate, especially in the run up to the COP28 global climate meeting in November and December.
“To find common ground, both the US and China should look no further than their shared sufferings from this summer’s severe weather events," Li said. "To play politics when the global climate crisis is in full display would be irresponsible. Our planet as well as this consequential bilateral relationship deserve far better."
3:14 a.m. ET, July 18, 2023
South Korean president vows to "overhaul" approach to extreme weather after deadly flooding
From CNN's Yoonjung Seo in Seoul, South Korea and Alex Stambaugh
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed Monday to "overhaul" the country's approach to extreme weather from the climate crisis after heavy rains triggered flooding and landslides, killing dozens of people.
"These extreme weather events will be commonplace going forward, so we must accept climate change is happening and deal with it," Yoon said in a cabinet meeting Monday, according to a statement from the president's office.
"The perception that it’s unavoidable because climate change is an anomaly must be overhauled,” he said, urging officials to act with “utmost determination.”
At least 41 people have died and nine people remain missing in the country as a result of heavy rain, according to the Ministry Interior and Safety. Among the deaths, 14 were killed after being trapped in an underpass in the city of Cheongju that flooded on Saturday, according to the ministry.
The South Korean government and provincial police said they have launched investigations into the deadly underpass flooding.
