After a cold spring, it seems hard to believe that darkness will ever leave Southern California. But skies are clearing as a “heat dome” brings summer-like temperatures to the state. It could be a preview of another record-breaking hot summer.
In what is becoming a sadly familiar refrain, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says there is a chance that 2024 will be even warmer than last year, which was the hottest year on record for the planet. As greenhouse gas pollution continues to raise temperatures and make extreme heat more deadly and severe, can anyone really say we are prepared for it?
Extreme heat is the country's deadliest climate hazard, killing more people than wildfires or hurricanes. Its effects have been felt in California. For example, in 2022 a record 10-day heat wave killed 395 Californians, according to a state analysis.
After criticism that California was ignoring the threat and treating it as a second-tier problem, Governor Gavin Newsom has begun to address this growing threat. For example, the governor's office revamped the state's extreme heat plan with a new 72-page document detailing four “pathways” to protect California from the effects of rising temperatures, including developing a heat monitoring system. public health, helping communities prepare for heat waves and increasing public awareness about the risks of intense heat through websites such as ready.ca.gov.
The updated plan showed a new awareness of the need to act against this growing danger, but in the two years since its publication the results have been lackluster and any progress is difficult to track.
Meanwhile, the state is still working on CalHeatScore, the nation's first heat wave early warning and rating system, even though the 2022 law that mandated the system requires it to be developed before the end of this year.
While these efforts are a good start, it is shameful that despite some progress on this long-neglected issue, the state is still not working with sufficient urgency. For example, we still do not have standards that protect indoor workers from high temperatures, although this has been promised for seven years.
It's time for California leaders to accelerate, because extreme heat is already here. According to the Climate Prediction Center and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the chance of California getting “above normal” temperatures in July and August ranges from 33% to 60%, depending on location.
With scorching temperatures almost certainly on the way, California leaders should be able to tell the state's residents and workers that they have done everything in their power to protect them from this growing threat. Unfortunately, they can't.
