Climate catastrophe is here

Another summer, another parade of broken US heat records. Experienced hikers died on the trail. Homeless shelters had to retool as cooling centers. Summer camps moved activities permanently indoors. This was all before late June, when this issue went to press.

Is climate change to blame? It’s complicated. Many factors contribute to weather events, and it’s difficult to isolate their effects. An equally correct answer: yes, of course it is. Climate change has been compared to a hypothetical increase in the force of gravity. As gravity grew stronger, more buildings and bridges would collapse, more airplanes would crash, more people would stumble, and everything would fall harder. While gravity change would never be solely responsible, it would always be a factor.

Climate catastrophe is here. Not coming, already here. Not just in the hotter parts of the developing world—though they are certainly bearing the worst of it—but here in the United States. Not just in low-lying coastal areas, but all over. And not just according to scientists and activists, but according to decision makers in the corporate world.