As the world gets hotter, environmental consequences get worse

Something notable just happened that cannot be ignored: July may have been the hottest month globally since record-keeping began in the 1800s, according to an initial analysis by a top meteorological organization.

Looking at the broader climate trends, the new record hot month is unfortunately unsurprising. July was the 415th consecutive month of above-20th-century-average temperatures. The five warmest years on record were from 2014-18, and this year is on track to join those ranks. Nine of the 10 warmest years on record have occurred since 2005, and every year since 2001 has been in the top 20 warmest years on record.

Those are the observable facts.

As the world gets hotter, so does the United States, and in an already steamy place like coastal South Carolina, that is very bad news….