This week, the United States experienced its first major heat wave in 2025. 160 million people on the Midwest, South and East Coasts experienced temperatures of 100°F. [emphasis, links added]
Many in the media claim that the high temperatures are the result of artificial global warming. But looking at history shows that we have experienced many high temperatures in the past.
Extreme heat warnings were issued in Baltimore, Boston, New York City, Philadelphia and Washington DC, and the Washington Monument was closed due to heat. Dozens of high temperature records every day have been broken.
The heat index in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other locations combines the effects of temperature and humidity exceeds 100 degrees.
Many media reports say that humans are responsible for the current hot weather.
- CNN The report said that “heat waves are becoming more and more dangerous as climate change is dangerous” and that the current heat waves “have the hallmark of artificially induced global warming.”
- NPR Conclusion is that due to the emissions of “burning coal, oil and gas”, “artificially induced climate change makes this heat wave more likely”.
- time It is pointed out that the heat wave has now “tripled” in the United States in the 1960s. But history does not support media alerts about heat waves.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tracks national record temperatures and dates. Data show that 36 of the 50 state record highs were set more than fifty years ago.
Record temperatures in twenty-three states occurred in the 1930s, when humans emit less than one-eighth of today’s carbon dioxide emissions.
Despite endless headlines of heat waves, only six state high temperature records have occurred since 2000.
At the peak of the heat wave, the temperature in New York City rose to 102°F. But New York State's record temperature was 108°F, in 1926, 99 years ago in Troy, New York.
Memphis temperature reaches 95°F. But Tennessee's record temperature was 113°F, set in Perryville in 1930.
In Richmond, Virginia, the temperature reached 99°F, but was below the state's record 110°F, which dropped on the balcony in 1954.
Temperature indicators from the Climate Research Department of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), NOAA and the University of East Anglia (MET Office) in the UK show that the global average ground temperature has risen by about 1.2°C (2°F) over the past 140 years.
But is this caused by industrial emissions of greenhouse gases?
The Central England Temperature (CET) dataset provided by the Centre of the Metropolitan Office is the longest running temperature indicator in the world. It shows that temperatures in central England have risen by about 2°C (3.6°F) in the past 360 years since 1660.
Until after World War II, human carbon dioxide emissions were negligible, but the emissions have increased by nearly eight times since then.
However, in the era of global carbon dioxide emissions, the rate of change in the rise of temperature in central England does not appear to be changing.
Evidence shows that temperature is dominated by natural factors and human emissions play a small role in global warming.
Beware, this summer, the heat waves are hot, drink plenty of liquids and keep them cool. Understand that in the past few decades, most places have been warmer.
Because nature drives the Earth’s climate, our only wise move is to adapt to climate change and temperature rise.
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