130 degrees fahrenheit, 54 degrees celsius was the temperature measured in Death Valley on Sunday August 8th 2020, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Located in southern California, Death Valley has a reputation for its heat… just think about the name. It is also protected as one of America’s National Parks for its geological significance. Although this number has not been verified by all the necessary climate scientists, we do believe it could be the hottest ever recorded on Earth. Death Valley’s temperature measurements are significant because scientists have reliable sensors that are accessible, unlike other desert regions on our planet. These measurements can thus serve as an indicator for those too remote to measure. This spike in temperature is inline with other wack atmospheric and climate events (droughts, limited snowpack, glacial melt, hurricanes, wildfires, etc.) that have been confirmed symptoms of climate change. I am bit late on reporting this, but now perhaps there is more value looking back, as in the recent two weeks much of the west coast, especially California is experiencing raging wildfires. The temperature rise we see in Death Valley will continue in other parts of our country and our planet. These changes will affect our entire nation’s food supply and have unimaginable effects on our health system. Localities will soon become uninhabitable due to heat or lack of water (think Phoenix AZ, Los Angeles CA). We are not designed to live in 130 degree weather. People have died and people will continue to die due to climate change. I find it very difficult to maintain hope when things continue to get worse and the people in power do not recognize that our planet is dying. However, these are our lives, our livelihood, and the lives of those more vulnerable than us that are on the line. We need to stay informed, keep others in check, and do everything in our power to keep our environment healthy.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Denison chapter.