![]() ![]() ![]() Or maybe pick a lighter roof color when the roof is replaced or use special cool roof materials. And one way is simply by painting the outside of a house lighter colors, which, you know, reflect sunlight so it doesn't really heat up as much. You know, we definitely need it, but it's not the only answer, right? So we run AC to cool a house when it's hot inside, but we could be doing a better job at just keeping the heat out in the first place. MARTIN: So are we learning things now that could help us deal with even more heat? And, you know, what about air conditioning? SOMMER: If emissions don't fall and we stay on this track, extreme heat waves could be almost three times as common as they are now. So there is no doubt at all that we have to get to work more earnestly than ever. KIM COBB: Each increment of additional warming brings this host of climate-related extremes and impacts that are so devastating. And Kim Cobb, who's a climate scientist at Brown University, says every little bit counts. But then it's a question of how fast we can cut emissions. You know, so the greenhouse gases we're emitting now - you know from the cars we drive, the power we use - those will keep warming the planet, so some of it is already baked in. SOMMER: Yeah, you know, that will really depend on us. MARTIN: Could this get even more extreme? Could it get worse? In fact, you know, in the Northeast, the most extreme storms are dropping 55% more rain now than they did in the first half of the 1900s. A hotter atmosphere can hold more moisture, so the rainstorms can be more intense, like what's happened in Vermont. You know, The planet has already gotten about two degrees Fahrenheit hotter, largely due to burning fossil fuels, and that's just amping up heat waves. But what we're seeing this summer is exactly what the science says we should expect. Is this what we should expect summers to be like from now on? MARTIN: So communities have been dealing with some life-threatening disasters. MARTIN: Lauren Sommer from NPR's Climate Desk is here to answer that. So as the climate keeps changing, how much worse could weather-related disasters get? ![]() Heat waves with temperatures over 120 degrees for days on end, whole neighborhoods flooded after heavy rain - extreme weather has already taken a big toll this summer around the world. ![]()
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