By Natalia Rueda 
Scientists and researchers have long warned that climate change is one of the most pressing environmental issues of our time – and recently, record-breaking temperatures put a new spotlight on the issue. On Tuesday, July 4, NOAA reported that the average global temperature had marked a record high of 17.18 degrees Celsius (62.92 Fahrenheit), surpassing the previous record of 17.01 degrees Celsius set the day prior.
The combination of an early El Niño and climate change have set this year up to be potentially one of the hottest years on record, and so far, it seems to be proving out that prediction. While much of the world is experiencing intense heat in the early parts of summer, El Niño is likely to bring a rainy summer to some areas of the Southern United States, including the Gulf Coast.
Climate change has long posed risks to human health, safety, and quality of life – making extreme weather events more frequent and intense. Heat waves, droughts, hurricanes, floods, and more are expected to become more frequent and extreme due to the human-caused global warming driving changes in the climate. While the Paris Agreement has already been set in motion, with many nations around the world setting commitments to reduce emissions, more decisive action must be taken in order to avoid hitting more devastating records in the future. Otherwise, the consequences will be felt broadly, from alarming levels of global air pollution to the destruction of entire ecosystems.
We must look to reduce our carbon footprints and take steps to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change. As the global temperature keeps breaking records, it is important that we take seriously the severity of climate change and the risks it poses. Let’s take action now to reduce the effects before it’s too late.