'Clear and Present Danger': US Faces Record Heat as Climate Crisis Intensifies

More than 120 million Americans from coast to coast were under heat advisories this weekend as large swaths of the United States faced scorching—and in some cases record-shattering—temperatures, extreme conditions that are likely to keep getting worse as long as fossil fuel production and use continues apace.

The National Weather Service (NWS) warned Sunday morning that heat in the West was "extremely dangerous" and humidity was persistent in the East. The current weather pattern is expected to "sustain a heatwave for much of the West Coast states while oppressive heat and humidity will continue along the Eastern Seaboard, down into the Southeast and Deep South."

A 10-year-old boy died after suffering what authorities described as a "heat-related medical emergency" on Tuesday during a hike in Arizona, whose capital saw its temperature hit 118°F on Friday—toppling a record set four decades ago. Extreme heat kills roughly 1,200 people in the U.S. each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The California cities of Redding and Palm Springs also saw record-breaking temperatures this weekend as the state attempted to combat devastating wildfires. Death Valley reached 128°F on Saturday, breaking a daily record set in 2007.

Some areas less accustomed to blistering heat have experienced triple-digit temperatures in recent days. In Oregon, Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek declared an extreme heat emergency through Tuesday, saying in a statement that "extreme weather events are now the new normal" for the state.

"Right now, state and local governments are on a path to strengthen our preparedness and response, not only this year but for the years to come," Kotek said, alluding to longer-term warming fueled by the climate crisis. "In the interest of safety and human life over the next several days, I am declaring an emergency due to extreme heat. Both the record-breaking temperatures and the duration of heat present a clear and present danger, particularly for children, elders, people with disabilities, and people who work outside."

Research has shown that the fossil fuel-driven climate emergency has made heatwaves more frequent and intense, slower-moving, and deadlier. Scientists at World Weather Attribution estimated that the climate crisis made the deadly heatwave that hit Mexico and the U.S. South last month 35 times more likely.

Some experts and advocates have recommended naming heatwaves after fossil fuel companies, given their central role in creating the climate emergency and misleading the public about the impacts of their products.

"As a result of the burning of fossil fuels, heatwaves are becoming more common, and intense heatwaves are more frequent," Antonia Juhasz, senior researcher on fossil fuels at Human Rights Watch, said Saturday. "We can break the cycle, we can make oil companies stop burning fossil fuels."