For four consecutive days during last week, the Earth recorded its hottest days, with the global average temperature reaching 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit. This was due mainly to the effects of El Nino as well as greenhouse gas emissions caused by the burning of coal, oil and gas. The latter has resulted in extreme weather events, such as unprecedented heat waves, sea-level rise, frequent flooding and massive wildfires. In China, 15 people have died last week while some 20,000 have been displaced due to severe flooding caused by excessive monsoon rains; while the eastern part of the United States continues to be covered in smoke from wildfires in Canada that can be seen from outer space. And powerful heat waves in recent weeks claimed lives in Texas, Mexico and the Southwest, and across the globe in India. The solution to the problem lies in a significant scaling back on the extraction and burning of fossil fuels and replacing them with clean, renewable energy, such as from wind and the sun.
