Plus: Gray whales are dying off the Pacific Coast. Is climate change to blame?
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Hi there, Europe has just experienced its hottest March ever recorded – part of an alarming streak of global heat that's pushing climate thresholds and political decision-making to the edge. Fresh data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) reveals last month wasn't just Europe's warmest March, it was the second-warmest March globally, just behind 2024. Global temperatures averaged 1.6°C above pre-industrial levels, marking the 20th time in 21 months that we've breached the critical 1.5°C limit. Scientists warn this repeated overshoot is a red flag for more extreme weather and potentially irreversible climate damage. With 2023 already the hottest year on record, and 2025 on pace to follow suit, the heat isn't letting up. The culprit? Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels – and unless we make major cuts, the planet will keep getting hotter. As the EU debates how aggressively to cut emissions by 2040, the question isn't just how far or how fast – it's whether we act in time. |
A wildfire in California (California Highway Patrol) |
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An ocean of climate impacts |
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Gray whales travel extremely far to feed. Changes to those ecosystems are driven by humans AFP via Getty Images |
Dozens of gray whales are washing up dead along the Pacific coast this year, and scientists say climate change could be playing a deadly role. At least 70 whales have died near Mexico's Baja California since January, with only five mother-calf pairs spotted in a key breeding lagoon — a troubling drop, marine biologist Dr. Steven Swartz told The Los Angeles Times. Several more whales have stranded near San Francisco, including one that rescuers described as emaciated. These deaths echo a 2019 "unusual mortality event" when hundreds of whales beached along the U.S. West Coast — many malnourished, with no clear cause. One theory? Disrupted Arctic ecosystems. Melting sea ice — which just hit record-low winter levels — could be cutting off food supplies for these migratory giants, researchers say. |
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