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Climate scientists have warned that the world has a 40% chance of being hotter than pre-Industrial Revolution temperatures, which is the lower of the two temperature limits set by the Paris Agreement. The odds of that happening sooner rather than later seem good, since China’s construction boom has generated something like 12 billion metric tons of CO2. Nevertheless, the United States and China have agreed to move forward with climate change, despite the rising tensions over Taiwan and the Philippines.

Climate change reached another grim milestone this week. The Arctic Circle reached a shocking 100.4ºF this week, a temperature scientists didn’t expect to see until the year 2100. If that temperature is verified, it will be the hottest ever recorded.

Climate change is killing people––literally. Scientists in Australia estimate that some 2% of deaths between 2006-2017 resulted from excessive heat. Without accounting for climate-related deaths as they happen, it will be impossible to keep track of the damage or understand exactly how climate change is affecting people.

Just look at the fires from Australia as the year ends: the country was literally burning to the ground. The images that came out of the country depict “armageddon.” An estimated 500 million animals have been killed in the fires. The fires are so bad they’re creating their own weather. Thousands of Australians were trapped on beaches trying to escape the fires, which are neared Melbourne suburbs. Elsewhere, in villages in the state of Victoria, citizens were warned that it’s too late to escape, and they must stay inside.

The Seattle Times suggests that climate change should be our nation’s biggest priority. The Guardian says the same thing, that it’s time for politicians to make stark choices.

More news.