Staggeringly hot temperatures can be responsible for a number of serious issues, such as tragic fatalities, economic distress, reproductive issues, mental health troubles, natural disasters, illnesses for people and pets, travel interruptions, crop damage, and electrical failures.
It's enough to make anyone sweat (or maybe that's just the weather). As reported in The Washington Post in July, there's even more cause for consternation: We may only be at the beginning of heat's power-hungry takeover, as its villainous trail blazes toward terrifying territory — targeting forests.
What's happening?
Amid a record-breakingly hot 2023, the planet's forests "lost most of their ability to absorb the carbon dioxide humans pumped into the air," researchers found.
When dirty fuels such as coal, oil, and gas are used to generate energy, they release toxic carbon pollution. Trees in forests soak up some of that carbon to grow, thereby reducing our exposure to the dangerous gas.
Think of forests as nature's dimmer switch, providing critical balance to carbon's harmful glare. But findings published on the science preprint site arXiv show that this process — relied upon to cool global temperatures, prevent climate chaos, and safeguard clean air — may be under serious threat.
Why are these findings important?
The results have experts worried, per The Washington Post. Sacrificing our forests' carbon absorption abilities to extreme heat's oppressive reign would amount to losing "the best friend of humanity," said scientist Philippe Ciais, who co-authored the research.
"This is a significant issue, because we are benefiting from the uptake of carbon," physicist Robert Rohde, who wasn't involved in the study, told The Washington Post. "Otherwise, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere would rise even faster and drive up temperatures even faster."
Many of the most affected global regions correlated with those areas that experienced concerning conditions like droughts and wildfires.
It's a chicken-and-egg phenomenon: Extreme heat causes problems and, as a result, may limit our abilities to avert those problems in the future. This catalyzes an ongoing cycle of searing temperatures, devastating weather, deaths, life-threatening illnesses, destroyed property, quality-of-life disruptions, financial consequences, and more.
What can we do about extreme heat?
We may be the simple sidekicks of the forests, but that doesn't mean we can't step up and take action before sweltering conditions become the new normal. (Just hydrate first.)
Read up on extreme heat, investigate lower-cost energy options and pioneering programs, plan for sustainable travel, support eco-friendly businesses, and volunteer in your community.
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