As I write this, floodwaters are blanketing communities in eastern Kentucky. At least 15 people have died and one part of the state, Buckhorn Lake, received 10.4 inches of rain in 24 hours, .08 inches shy of breaking the state’s record.
Meanwhile, the Pacific Northwest, where I live, is experiencing yet another heatwave. My colleagues in the UK recently lived through London’s hottest day on record. Triple digits on the thermometer are becoming increasingly common in these places that typically have been so mild that most people don’t have air conditioning.
There’s mounting evidence of climate change’s fingerprints on extreme weather events, especially heatwaves and heavy rainfall. Despite this, climate deniers continue to spread misinformation regarding the connection between climate change and extreme weather, as Stella Levantesi explored this week in the newest installment of her Gaslit column.
Renowned climate scientist Michael E. Mann told Stella that this is “one of the last remaining fronts in the attack on [climate] science.” In the column, she unpacks the strategies that deniers rely upon to obscure or downplay the link between climate change and extreme weather.
Climate change is making these extreme events increasingly part of our daily lives, so Stella’s piece is a timely and important read. If you enjoy it, I hope you’ll share it with others — and dig into her previous Gaslit columns.
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