The Effects of Climate Change
Theyre growing more apparent. But there are reasons to be hopeful. has plunged the Western U.S. into . And a record-breaking heat wave only made things worse. In Arizona and Nevada, its been so hot that doctors warned people they could get third-degree burns from the asphalt. Wildfires raged in Montana and Utah. Power grids in Texas strained as officials asked residents to limit appliance use to avoid blackouts. The levels in Lake Mead, which supplies water for millions of people, are at their lowest since the 1930s. In one California lake, the water was so shallow that officials spotted plane wreckage from a 1986 crash. And thats just in the U.S. Experts say global temperatures will keep rising as countries and companies fail to limit their . Smaller countries often through extreme weather. Most of these gases have come from the United States, China, the European Union, Russia and other developed countries, Bernard Ferguson writes. Yet islands like the Bahamas, where Ferguson is from, are on the front lines of the climate crisis. The problems in the West and around the globe are more evidence that is already affecting us. But there are also reasons for hope. For The Times Magazines climate issue, Ezra Klein to compare political progress in the U.S. with the scale of the crisis. Our politics co-evolved with a century of fossil fuels, and so a huge portion of our regulations still favor the incumbent, which is fossil fuels, Saul Griffith, a scientist and founder of a nonprofit, said. In Australia, Griffith said, a kilowatt-hour of energy generated by rooftop solar panels costs about a third of what it would from a U.S. power grid. We can make everyones energy future cheaper, but politics has to work with technology, which has to work with finance, he said. Cities have been adapting in other ways: Tucson, Ariz., is a national leader in recycling wastewater for irrigation and firefighting. Districts in California are investing billions into infrastructure to store water for future droughts. More globally, another story in the magazine, by Aurora Almendral, focuses on . Cargo vessels are among the largest machines on the planet, and shipping generates 2.9 percent of global carbon-dioxide emissions nearly as much as the entirety of South America. Some experts believe using wind through modern sails could considerably reduce that number. Other companies are developing more environmentally friendly manufacturing techniques that would into building materials, fuels, plastics and even fish food. You might wake in the morning on a mattress made from recycled CO2, Jon Gertner writes. You might drive your car with parts made from smokestack CO2 over roads made from CO2-cured concrete. And at days end, you might sip carbontech vodka while making dinner with food grown in a greenhouse enriched by recycled CO2. When wildfires blaze across the West, the focus is often on the immediate devastation. But the can linger for years. The way we manage our water is outdated, inefficient, uncoordinated and to a lot of people, unfair, . The Supreme Court ruled that a Pennsylvania high school when it punished her for a profane Snapchat message sent while off-campus. The court ruled against a California regulation that let union organizers recruit farmworkers at their workplaces, its latest . Police officers chasing someone over a minor crime , the court ruled. In response to rising gun violence, President Biden said states could use federal stimulus money , as Democrats . A woman from Indiana is . She will serve no prison time. Michigan Republicans published in the state. Lloyd Austin, the Secretary of Defense, endorsed changing . The Biden administration is , the U.S. Border Patrol chief, who is a supporter of Trump-era immigration policies. The Biden administration plans to through July. A researcher that could help scientists understand its origins. The U.S. will to Brazil. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines may cause cardiac inflammation in very rare instances, the C.D.C. said. . Britney Spears asked a court to that controls her life. This conservatorship is abusive, she said. The U.S. , the American Red Cross says. ( .) John McAfee, the antivirus software pioneer, . He was awaiting extradition to the U.S. to face tax-evasion charges. Warren Buffett of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The authorities in South Carolina are opening a new investigation into an unsolved 2015 death . Irans ultraconservative new president wants political and economic stability. That makes him Bidens best hope to restore the 2015 nuclear deal, . When the pandemic closed his pool, he trained at the actor David Duchovnys house. Now hes . How . Security footage of elephants. ( .) Try . Milkha Singh, a track star known as the Flying Sikh, overcame adversity to become a hero of post-colonial India. . When Conan OBrien hosts the final episode of his late-night talk show on TBS tonight, it could end the era of comedy sidekicks. The sidekick has been a TV staple since the 1950s, Jason Zinoman . The role personified by Ed McMahon, who sat next to Johnny Carson for more than three decades was to set up jokes, get teased and make the host look good. When OBrien came to late night in 1993, he brought along the improv comic Andy Richter. Unlike his predecessors, though, Richter didnt sacrifice his voice or dignity he added pinpoint ad-libs, stole scenes and built on jokes. And OBrien was happy to share the spotlight. By redefining the late-night sidekick, OBrien and Richter may have rendered the role irrelevant. Their rapport paved the way for shows like Showtimes Desus & Mero, Jason writes, where two funny friends with great chemistry play off each other without rigidly hierarchical roles. about what he wants to do next. This is a perennial favorite. A set of three sci-fi indies and a clever rom-com are among . A generation of thinkers is , Parul Sehgal writes. The hosts . The pangram from yesterdays Spelling Bee was . Here is todays puzzle or you can . Heres , and a clue: In the loop (five letters). If youre in the mood to play more, find . P.S. The Timess Amanda Taub will interview Hillary Clinton and Greta Thunberg about womens leadership today at 1 p.m. Eastern. if youre a Times subscriber. You can see . Todays episode of is about a vaccine maker in India. On , the complexities of queer divorce. features Alison Bechdel. is a writer for The Morning newsletter. She is based in New York.