Opinion: It’s always hot in the summer. But this heat for this long signals a climate emergency

Does something about the world right now feel ... off? Not in a political or cultural sense — something about the very ground beneath our feet and the air all around us feels unreliable in ways it hasn’t before.

It isn’t just me taking notice. On these pages, columnist LZ Granderson recently wondered whether the orca boat strikes and sea otter surfer harassment signal an animal kingdom uprising. In Phoenix — where it’s always hot in July, but not this hot — residents are sweltering through 100-degree nights. Mercifully, Los Angeles has been warmer than average this month, but in an area of countless micro-climates, that’s no comfort to the Angelenos of Woodland Hills (forecast high today: 100 degrees) or the residents of Palmdale and Lancaster (108 for them today). If you’re looking for hope, I advise you not to look up the 10-day forecast.

Elsewhere in the world, Rome recorded it’s all-time high temperature this July, barely more than a year after it set the previous mark. Last summer, heat killed more than 60,000 Europeans; 2023 has been hotter, so expect another grim death toll.

Many of our readers are also alarmed by these trends; this is what they have to say.

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To the editor: The heat in Phoenix and other desert southwest cities provides a “disturbing” glimpse into the future? These temperatures are horrific.

I spent a summer in Phoenix in 1978 and, according to Extreme Weather Watch, there were 13 days that summer when the temperature was 112 degrees or higher, topping out at 115. Yes, that was brutal, but at night it cooled enough for people to recover.

Now it’s more than 100 degrees. At midnight. The most disturbing part of this is that this craziness is just getting started.

Declare a climate emergency, apply a carbon fee, and cut carbon emissions as fast as humanly possible. Otherwise, what future is there for these desert cities? Climate migration will empty them.

This is no exaggeration. A tsunami siren is not “alarmist.” It is life-saving.

Gary Stewart, Laguna Beach

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To the editor: Your article on desert cities suffering unrelenting, miserable heat showed just how much humans are at the mercy of Mother Nature. What she has in store for us and can do a number on people on a whim.

There are numerous ways for people to escape being fried by the sun. Las Vegas was one of the cities highlighted in the article showing how temperatures have soared well into the 100s. Per the article, staying hydrated and heading to cooling centers were high priorities.

One scenario comes to mind. I imagine someone walking on the Las Vegas Strip drenching with sweat from the 110-degree heat. As this someone passes an open entry into one of the hotel-casinos, the cool air hits the person with instant relief.

Without even thinking about it, the person goes in, sits at a bar and orders a very cold beer. Not only did the person head to a cooling center, he also got hydrated with each sip of the beer.

While sitting at the bar, he might as well play some video poker. Hotel-casino owners probably like the hot weather.

Bill Spitalnick, Newport Beach

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To the editor: It’s easy to have a doom-and-gloom mind-set about climate change.

As The Times recently reported in its story on blistering temperatures in Death Valley, we’re seeing record-breaking heat waves with increasing frequency. But we can’t slip into climate doomerism.

We can still prevent the worst impacts of climate change, but only if we make our voices louder than the companies that benefit from our current system. They want you to believe that this is an unsolvable problem. Prove them wrong.

When the fear sinks in, look to groups that are already organizing locally to make a difference.

Right now, you can tell your school district to apply for a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to convert its buses into a fleet of electric vehicles. You can call your senators and tell them that you’ll be voting with climate change in mind.

Whatever you do, do something. I promise you will feel better than being a climate doomer.

Josh Brown, Glendale

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To the editor: We are now like the proverbial frog in the pot of water. It was cool, it got warm, then it got hot, and now it’s just starting to boil.

We know how to get out, but will we?

Dennis Thompson, Santa Barbara

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To the editor: I have been “alarmed” for several decades, but didn’t expect the impacts this quickly. Now, I am fighting despair and the knowledge that despair is equal to denial. Neither is helpful.

President Biden’s response to the climate crisis is not chump change. For example, efforts to “electrify everything” (Google it) would sharply cut emissions and save homeowners about $1,400 per year.

These are carrots, but they must be eaten to make a difference.

Jan Freed, Los Angeles