The Northern Hemisphere celebrated the longest day of the year yesterday, and like any decent holiday, the summer solstice deserves a healthy dose of reflection. So let’s take a moment to think about this: We have just headed into a season that, thanks to us, is getting hotter and hotter. This Climate Central map breaks down warming trends since 1970 by region, and from the Ohio Valley’s two-degree rise to the Southwest’s 3.6, every section of the country has gotten warmer overall.
Hot days don’t just lead to a bump in lemonade-stand sales and water-gun fights—air pollution, heat-related illnesses, and electricity bills go up, too.
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