2026-07-20
8 分钟The Economist.
Hello, this is Alok Jha, host of Babbage, our weekly podcast on science and technology.
Welcome to Editor's Picks.
We've chosen an unmissable article from the latest edition of The Economist.
Please do have a listen.
Cole Porter had it right.
It is too darn hot.
On July 14th, the surface temperature of Earth's tropical and mid-latitude
oceans was higher than on any other July 14th in modern records.
The same was true for every other day in July, and for almost all of the days in June, too.
Europe has gone through three heat waves since May, and though the continent is better prepared
for such things than it used to be, tens of thousands will have died as a result.
America's 4th of July celebrations took place under a sweltering heat dome.
Super Typhoon Barbie, which saw well over a million people evacuated from the Chinese coast,
owed much of its power to the rate at which it was able to suck up energy from the overheated sea.
Fires are spreading far and wide.
Worse is to come.
The chances of this year being the hottest on record are growing.
The El Nino getting underway in the Pacific all but guarantees next year will be.
Climate change is feeding on itself.