FiveThirtyEight asks 'Will The Hottest July On Record Affect Views Of Climate Change?'

I'm beginning August's blogging by repeating an observation I made in MSNBC covers record heat and climate change for World Emoji Day: "When I looked at Google News' U.S. page, I saw result after result of extreme weather and climate change news." That has remained true since then, with the bulk of the results the past two weeks were about either the former guy's legal problems or the heat wave. Given that choice, I'm glad to see The FiveThirtyEight Podcast ask Will The Hottest July On Record Affect Views Of Climate Change?

Calculations from the World Meteorological Organization suggest that July was the hottest month on record. Throughout the month, heat records were broken across the globe. Phoenix, Arizona, recorded 31 days in a row of temperatures over 110 degrees Fahrenheit and Sanbao, China, provisionally recorded the country’s all-time hottest temperature of 126 degrees.

In this installment of the FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast, Galen speaks with Anthony Leiserowitz, the director and founder of the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication, about public perceptions of climate change, how extreme weather shapes those views and whether it's shaping our politics.

Galen also speaks with Kaleigh Rogers and Nathaniel Rakich about some of the latest GOP primary polling and how changes to election law in both red and blue states will reshape how Americans vote in 2024.

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Politics of climate change
40:02 - Changes to election law

The answer to the question is probably yes, although it might subside during the winter. Warm weather then might elicit the kind of reaction I described in Classified documents leak headlines 'Weekend Update' on 'SNL'.

"It's mid-April here in New York City and the temperature hit 90 degrees this week, a full two months ahead of schedule. And while that may be terrifying on a climate level, the warm weather can only mean one thing. All the freaks, crazies, and weirdos are heading to Central Park." Yes, it is terrifying on a climate change level, but after even a mild winter, a week of summer temperatures would be considered "good weather" this time of year. Let's see if people still think that should the northeast and midwest suffer from excessive heat waves this summer.

So far, it's the rest of the country that's suffering from "excessive heat waves this summer."

Just the same, I'm glad to hear that at least the left wing of the Democratic Party is taking climate change seriously enough that paying attention to it as an issue has become a way to drive base turn-out. May that continue next year.

On the other hand, I find the Republican efforts to restrict voting by mail discouraging. It's yet another way that the party is reflecting the prejudices of its leader, as I described in Trump threatens Michigan and Nevada over mail-in voting. Sigh.

Stay tuned for Earth Overshoot Day tomorrow, which is five days later than last year. Good news and progress, but not enough to post Professor Farnsworth.