Last summer, devastating floods swept Pakistan, displacing 32 million people and leaving more than 500 children dead. As of this writing, according to UNICEF, "nearly 10 million girls and boys remain in need of immediate lifesaving support." Meanwhile, between June and August of 2022, record-breaking heat waves boiled much of Europe, with Pinhão, Portugal, reporting a high of 116.6℉ on July 14. Over in Tunisia, the high reached 118.4℉ that same month, while other parts of Africa suffered unprecedented weather events that took thousands of lives.
In Uganda, drought and famine caused 2,500 deaths, while six severe storms in 2022 killed "at least 890 people" in Madagascar and Mozambique. Nigeria experienced its "worst floods in a decade," causing over 600 deaths, while "nearly two million people in Chad were affected by floods in August and October." As I write this sentence in a small city in Germany, temperatures are expected to reach roughly 60℉ on Saturday, the last day of December, and the carbon dioxide detector on my office wall currently reads 450 parts per million (ppm), with the windows open.
