The best available science tells us that our current greenhouse gas emissions trajectory will increase global warming by 3.3° C or 6° F by the end of the century.  As of June 2024, we have already passed the 1.5° C threshold for the first whole year.  This means overall summers will continue to be hotter with more stretches of extreme heat and for longer periods of time.  Combine that with more intense summer storms, wildfires, UV exposure, and it will become increasingly unsafe for more and more folks to be outside for all but the briefest periods.  

This has the most significant effects on people who have to work outside for their jobs.  It also has implications for summer vacations and outdoor recreation of all kinds.  Sooner than we might care to think, parents will no longer be saying "go outside and play" during those magical summer months of youth. How long before baseball, backyard barbecues, and the beach become bygone memories?

Unfortunately, the longer we take to address this crisis, the warmer it will become and the more generations it will take before summers cool back down to safe levels again.  But there is still time to take bold action and minimize the damage.  Our leaders, public and private, need to hear from us demanding that action.