Russell Rhodes Blog

Hot here. Hot everywhere.

It’s hot. Hot like we’ve never seen before. Climate change is taking its toll. It looks as though President Biden is going to go it all alone too.

The Washington Post is reporting that President Biden could declare a climate emergency as soon as this week. He hopes to find a way to salvage his environmental agenda that’s stalled on Capitol Hill.

What exactly does that mean? Declaring a climate emergency. According to unnamed sources that spoke to the Post, it “could empower the administration in its efforts to reduce carbon emissions and foster cleaner energy.”

That all sounds great, but what about gas prices? Some say that could drive them higher as part of a transition to alternative energy sources. That’s a rock and a hard place.

And the heat continues. The alert just came across my phone. The U.K. just had its hottest day on record. 102.4 degrees. They have declared a national emergency and issued health warnings.

Elsewhere… fires. Big ones. France and Spain. Thousands have been forced from their homes.

One of the things I remember most about my trip to Italy in June is the heat. Don’t get me wrong. It was the trip of a lifetime, but it was hot. The Italians said it’s never this hot in June.

Here’s the thing… the Europeans just don’t know how to air condition like we do. They have never had to worry about it. Until now.

Speaking of a/c, ours has been running non-stop. It’s just hot. Hot here. Hot there. Hot everywhere.

NBC News reports that 140 million Americans are bracing for temperatures above 90 degrees. 51 million above 100. Heat alerts in 16 states.

Climate change used to be something we knew was coming. We had time to fix some things. Not anymore. Climate change is here. Now.

Is it too late? Not sure, but it’s sure starting to feel that way. It’s hot. Hot everywhere.