Chris Tomlinson: Climate change is taking thousands of lives — and could suck $178 trillion from the global economy

If 104 degrees feels hot in Texas, imagine living in London, where most buildings were built to retain heat for cold, wet days and air conditioning in homes is rare. Temperatures set or matched record highs across Europe last week, including 104 degrees in Paris. It’s easy for Texans to tease others for their vulnerability to heat, but more than 2,000 people have died in Europe, which is as prepared for triple-digit temperatures as we were in 2021 for single digits. Scientists blame the wild weather on climate change and warn that we must prepare for more extremes of all kinds. Since 2022 will be one of the coolest years of the next 50, we need to start adapting, especially economically. We’ve known for 150 years that the higher the percentage of carbon dioxide in our atmosphere, the greater its capacity to retain heat. Since the Industrial Revolution, rich countries have released an insane amount of CO2 that was previously trapped underground over millennia. We call them fossil fuels.

The oceans, which drive weather patterns, trap some of the heat. The earth’s surface is getting warmer, too. The planet is 1.2 degrees Celsius — about 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit — warmer than in pre-industrial times. The additional heat is changing the Northern Hemisphere’s jet stream, which is responsible for weather patterns. Recent research in the journal Nature found that global warming is causing greater waviness in the jet stream. That waviness is causing the European heat wave and, in 2021, allowed a polar vortex to reach Texas, triggering blackouts and killing hundreds. Global temperatures will continue to rise until the world drastically reduces CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions. Unfortunately, we are unlikely ever to reduce emissions enough to lower global temperatures. The wavy jet stream and the extreme weather associated with it will be with us for generations. We need to prepare for more frequent 2022 heat waves, more 2021 freezes, more 2017 hurricanes and more 2011 wildfires. Plan for the worse, and hope for the best. Most of us first worry about our homes, but we must adapt our businesses and economy. We shouldn’t need to lower our standard of living because mitigating climate change is an enormous investment and business opportunity that only comes around every few centuries.