Buzz
We’re all increasingly aware that climate change is causing the planet to heat up rapidly in the years ahead. In fact, 2017 was one of the hottest years ever recorded, and the four hottest years have all occurred since 2014. (2018 is even set to surpass 2014, becoming the fourth-hottest year.)
Visualizing what this actually means, beyond just the discomfort of sweating, can be tough. Thankfully, a new interactive feature from The New York Times makes it simple to grasp—whether you like it or not. You can input your hometown and birth year to see how many days per year the temperature has surpassed 90 degrees in your lifetime. Then, it forecasts how many of those sweltering days are likely to occur annually for the remainder of the century.
For example, if you were born in Los Angeles in 1985, the area was projected to experience about 55 days a year with temperatures over 90°F. Today, that number has risen to 67 days annually. By the time you turn 80, it’s expected that there will be anywhere from 81 to 99 of those scorching days each year.
To understand how climate change will impact younger generations, imagine the future of someone born in LA in 2000. That year, the city could expect 59 days of 90°F temperatures annually. By the time they turn 80, this number is projected to climb to an average of 103 scorching days a year. Ouch. And for places already accustomed to extreme heat, it will be even worse. Someone born in New Delhi in 2000 will likely experience up to 243 days of 90°F or more each year—two-thirds of the year. It’s going to be especially brutal in tropical areas. By the century’s end, Jakarta, Indonesia could be stuck in the 90°F+ zone almost all year long.
The graphic is hard to truly appreciate without interacting with it yourself, so head over to the Times website and try it out. But instead of dwelling in despair, take action.
