Verkhoyansk, Russia

The highest temperature ever seen in the Arctic circle – 38°C – has been recorded in a town in Siberia. Scientists had previously predicted that the Arctic circle would not experience temperatures like that until 2100. A small town with a population of 1,000, some 3,000 miles east of Moscow, Verkhoyansk is known for its exceptionally cold winters. Its record low of -67.8°C is one of the coldest temperatures recorded on Earth. In summer, it typically reaches highs of 20°C.

However, Siberia has been in the grip of an exceptional heatwave for more than a month, causing wildfires that have sent smoke stretching over thousands of miles. On 23 May, the mercury in Khatanga, more than 100 miles north of Verkhoyansk, hit 25°C, an astonishing 13°C higher than its previous record.  (The Week 27 June 2020).

My comment:  There are governments that are actually trying to devise responsible policies to fight global climate change.  But for some, the United States in particular, the whole thing is being treated as a hoax devised to damage the economy and to make life harder for the pampered super-rich, who effectively control the current government and dictate policy.  For them the clear and obvious effects of warming are to be treated as party political. Global warming is deeply inconvenient for these selfish people and is best ignored or treated as party politics.

I won’t live to see the worst effects of the calamity facing the planet, but i feel for and fear for those who come after me and I doing my pathetic best not to make matters worse.