Summertime is upon us and the northern hemisphere swelters.
Beijing, capital of China, around 1 p.m. on June 23. The city recorded temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius for two consecutive days for the first time since the capital’s weather records began in 1961, according to its meteorological center. A heatwave is still baking north China at the time of writing.
In Europe, most parts of Spain have been weathering scorching temperatures since late June, with the mercury in some areas rising to 44 degrees Celsius. Unseasonal heat had already affected large parts of the Iberian Peninsula in March and April, a situation Spanish Environment Minister Teresa Ribera described as “terrifying.” A protocol that bans some outdoor work during extreme heat conditions is currently in place in some areas of the country.
Crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Southern Europe, more than 100 million Americans received poor air quality alerts on June 29, as drifting smoke from prolonged wildfires in Canada had spread out across New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Washington,
