SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Children play in the Salmon Springs Fountain on June 27, 2021 in Portland, Oregon. Record-breaking temperatures lingered over the Northwest during a historic heatwave this weekend.
(Photo: Nathan Howard/Getty Images)
Northwestern Heatwave Sparks Calls for Transformative Climate Action
"Making sure our planet is habitable for human life *is* infrastructure," tweeted Rep. Ilhan Omar. "We need a bold package that tackles the climate crisis."
Jun 28, 2021
As the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada bake under what's described as a "once-in-a-millennium" heat dome, green groups reiterated the need for transformational change to address the climate emergency on Monday. Progressive U.S. lawmakers underscored the imperative for any infrastructure legislation to center climate action.
"Extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure. It's yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action."
--Rep. Earl Blumenauer
On Monday, temperatures exceeded 110 degrees in Portland, Oregon, for the second straight day—and the third consecutive record-setting day—melting power cables, destroying road surfaces, and shaking some homes.
On Monday, the mercury in Seattle soared to a record-setting 106 degrees, with some surrounding areas expected to reach as high as 115 degrees.
On Sunday, the town of Lytton, British Columbia, broke Canada's all-time high-temperature record, becoming the first place in the country to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
As groups including 350 Seattle and Defense Fund PDX mobilized to distribute potentially lifesaving hydration and cooling aid in their communities, they also issued urgent calls for immediate climate action.
Valerie Costa of 350 Seattle said that the historic heatwave "is terrifying proof that we have to transform business as usual immediately, to stop the damage that we can still stop. Lives all over the world depend on it."
350 Seattle's Emily Johnston added, "People can get air conditioners and then try to forget how wildly abnormal this is... or they can join us in fighting for the immediate transformation that we need."
\u201cI'm not sure how to process this.\n\nThe normal late June high in Vancouver BC is 21\u00b0C (70\u00b0F). This heat wave will be 25\u00b0C (45\u00b0F) hotter than that \u2014 the equivalent cold wave would mean weather below freezing, colder than Vancouver's normal January.\n\nThis is an entirely new climate.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1624570825
"Other cities around the world have transformed even in just the last few years, dramatically increasing bike lanes, otherwise shifting land use, and rejecting airport expansion," Johnston added. "Seattle has mostly... made pronouncements. We mean to harness people's energy and anxiety to change that."
Meanwhile, Sunrise Movement PDX called out "legislators in Oregon who claim to be 'acting on climate' who voted yesterday to give the [state] authority to spend hundreds of millions of dollars widening freeways in Clackamas County."
Progressive lawmakers echoed some of climate campaigners' calls and concerns.
\u201cThe extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure.\n\nIt\u2019s yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis.\u201d— Earl Blumenauer (@Earl Blumenauer) 1624916676
Noting Portland's melting power cables, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) called the heatwave "yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis."
Blumenauer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in February introduced a bill directing President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency and mobilize every resource available to address the crisis.
\u201cThe most severe heat in Pacific Northwest history is underway. Predicted to be \u201chistoric, dangerous, prolonged and unprecedented,\u201d by the National Weather Service, it\u2019s already rewriting the record books. Yes.\u00a0We have to act BOLDLY to address climate change.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1624834267
In a tweet highlighting a Monday rally and march on the White House by the youth-led Sunrise Movement, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) asserted that "making sure our planet is habitable for human life is infrastructure" while calling for "a bold package that tackles the climate crisis."
\u201cAs we speak, there is a blistering heat wave demolishing records in the Pacific Northwest.\n\nCanada set a record of almost 116 degrees.\n\nMaking sure our planet is habitable for human life *is* infrastructure.\n\nWe need a bold package that tackles the climate crisis.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1624917739
In addition to much of the western part of the continent, much of New England also experienced extreme temperatures on Monday, with heat advisories in effect across the region.
Amid triple-digit heat indexes in Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced he would re-introduce the Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act "to combat the threat of extreme heat" and "strengthen inter-agency efforts to study and address extreme heat while providing millions of dollars in grants to reduce exposure to extreme heat."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
350.orgbernie sandersclimate actionclimate crisisclimate emergencyextreme heatextreme weatherheat domeilhan omarinfrastructurenational weather servicepacific northwestsunrise movementheatwave
As the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada bake under what's described as a "once-in-a-millennium" heat dome, green groups reiterated the need for transformational change to address the climate emergency on Monday. Progressive U.S. lawmakers underscored the imperative for any infrastructure legislation to center climate action.
"Extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure. It's yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action."
--Rep. Earl Blumenauer
On Monday, temperatures exceeded 110 degrees in Portland, Oregon, for the second straight day—and the third consecutive record-setting day—melting power cables, destroying road surfaces, and shaking some homes.
On Monday, the mercury in Seattle soared to a record-setting 106 degrees, with some surrounding areas expected to reach as high as 115 degrees.
On Sunday, the town of Lytton, British Columbia, broke Canada's all-time high-temperature record, becoming the first place in the country to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
As groups including 350 Seattle and Defense Fund PDX mobilized to distribute potentially lifesaving hydration and cooling aid in their communities, they also issued urgent calls for immediate climate action.
Valerie Costa of 350 Seattle said that the historic heatwave "is terrifying proof that we have to transform business as usual immediately, to stop the damage that we can still stop. Lives all over the world depend on it."
350 Seattle's Emily Johnston added, "People can get air conditioners and then try to forget how wildly abnormal this is... or they can join us in fighting for the immediate transformation that we need."
\u201cI'm not sure how to process this.\n\nThe normal late June high in Vancouver BC is 21\u00b0C (70\u00b0F). This heat wave will be 25\u00b0C (45\u00b0F) hotter than that \u2014 the equivalent cold wave would mean weather below freezing, colder than Vancouver's normal January.\n\nThis is an entirely new climate.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1624570825
"Other cities around the world have transformed even in just the last few years, dramatically increasing bike lanes, otherwise shifting land use, and rejecting airport expansion," Johnston added. "Seattle has mostly... made pronouncements. We mean to harness people's energy and anxiety to change that."
Meanwhile, Sunrise Movement PDX called out "legislators in Oregon who claim to be 'acting on climate' who voted yesterday to give the [state] authority to spend hundreds of millions of dollars widening freeways in Clackamas County."
Progressive lawmakers echoed some of climate campaigners' calls and concerns.
\u201cThe extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure.\n\nIt\u2019s yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis.\u201d— Earl Blumenauer (@Earl Blumenauer) 1624916676
Noting Portland's melting power cables, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) called the heatwave "yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis."
Blumenauer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in February introduced a bill directing President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency and mobilize every resource available to address the crisis.
\u201cThe most severe heat in Pacific Northwest history is underway. Predicted to be \u201chistoric, dangerous, prolonged and unprecedented,\u201d by the National Weather Service, it\u2019s already rewriting the record books. Yes.\u00a0We have to act BOLDLY to address climate change.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1624834267
In a tweet highlighting a Monday rally and march on the White House by the youth-led Sunrise Movement, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) asserted that "making sure our planet is habitable for human life is infrastructure" while calling for "a bold package that tackles the climate crisis."
\u201cAs we speak, there is a blistering heat wave demolishing records in the Pacific Northwest.\n\nCanada set a record of almost 116 degrees.\n\nMaking sure our planet is habitable for human life *is* infrastructure.\n\nWe need a bold package that tackles the climate crisis.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1624917739
In addition to much of the western part of the continent, much of New England also experienced extreme temperatures on Monday, with heat advisories in effect across the region.
Amid triple-digit heat indexes in Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced he would re-introduce the Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act "to combat the threat of extreme heat" and "strengthen inter-agency efforts to study and address extreme heat while providing millions of dollars in grants to reduce exposure to extreme heat."
As the Pacific Northwest and southwestern Canada bake under what's described as a "once-in-a-millennium" heat dome, green groups reiterated the need for transformational change to address the climate emergency on Monday. Progressive U.S. lawmakers underscored the imperative for any infrastructure legislation to center climate action.
"Extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure. It's yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action."
--Rep. Earl Blumenauer
On Monday, temperatures exceeded 110 degrees in Portland, Oregon, for the second straight day—and the third consecutive record-setting day—melting power cables, destroying road surfaces, and shaking some homes.
On Monday, the mercury in Seattle soared to a record-setting 106 degrees, with some surrounding areas expected to reach as high as 115 degrees.
On Sunday, the town of Lytton, British Columbia, broke Canada's all-time high-temperature record, becoming the first place in the country to reach 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit).
As groups including 350 Seattle and Defense Fund PDX mobilized to distribute potentially lifesaving hydration and cooling aid in their communities, they also issued urgent calls for immediate climate action.
Valerie Costa of 350 Seattle said that the historic heatwave "is terrifying proof that we have to transform business as usual immediately, to stop the damage that we can still stop. Lives all over the world depend on it."
350 Seattle's Emily Johnston added, "People can get air conditioners and then try to forget how wildly abnormal this is... or they can join us in fighting for the immediate transformation that we need."
\u201cI'm not sure how to process this.\n\nThe normal late June high in Vancouver BC is 21\u00b0C (70\u00b0F). This heat wave will be 25\u00b0C (45\u00b0F) hotter than that \u2014 the equivalent cold wave would mean weather below freezing, colder than Vancouver's normal January.\n\nThis is an entirely new climate.\u201d— Eric Holthaus (@Eric Holthaus) 1624570825
"Other cities around the world have transformed even in just the last few years, dramatically increasing bike lanes, otherwise shifting land use, and rejecting airport expansion," Johnston added. "Seattle has mostly... made pronouncements. We mean to harness people's energy and anxiety to change that."
Meanwhile, Sunrise Movement PDX called out "legislators in Oregon who claim to be 'acting on climate' who voted yesterday to give the [state] authority to spend hundreds of millions of dollars widening freeways in Clackamas County."
Progressive lawmakers echoed some of climate campaigners' calls and concerns.
\u201cThe extreme heat in Portland is literally melting our critical infrastructure.\n\nIt\u2019s yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis.\u201d— Earl Blumenauer (@Earl Blumenauer) 1624916676
Noting Portland's melting power cables, Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) called the heatwave "yet another striking example of why our infrastructure package must center climate action to halt, reverse, mitigate, and prepare for the worst consequences of the climate crisis."
Blumenauer, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in February introduced a bill directing President Joe Biden to declare a national climate emergency and mobilize every resource available to address the crisis.
\u201cThe most severe heat in Pacific Northwest history is underway. Predicted to be \u201chistoric, dangerous, prolonged and unprecedented,\u201d by the National Weather Service, it\u2019s already rewriting the record books. Yes.\u00a0We have to act BOLDLY to address climate change.\u201d— Bernie Sanders (@Bernie Sanders) 1624834267
In a tweet highlighting a Monday rally and march on the White House by the youth-led Sunrise Movement, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) asserted that "making sure our planet is habitable for human life is infrastructure" while calling for "a bold package that tackles the climate crisis."
\u201cAs we speak, there is a blistering heat wave demolishing records in the Pacific Northwest.\n\nCanada set a record of almost 116 degrees.\n\nMaking sure our planet is habitable for human life *is* infrastructure.\n\nWe need a bold package that tackles the climate crisis.\u201d— Ilhan Omar (@Ilhan Omar) 1624917739
In addition to much of the western part of the continent, much of New England also experienced extreme temperatures on Monday, with heat advisories in effect across the region.
Amid triple-digit heat indexes in Massachusetts, Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) announced he would re-introduce the Preventing Health Emergencies And Temperature-related (HEAT) Illness and Deaths Act "to combat the threat of extreme heat" and "strengthen inter-agency efforts to study and address extreme heat while providing millions of dollars in grants to reduce exposure to extreme heat."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.