Waters off southern Florida hit 100°F or more—as hot as a hot tub—for two days running. Coral reefs there are experiencing serious bleaching.

The Gulf Stream is near collapse and could shut down as early as 2025.

July 2023 was the hottest on record, had the three hottest days, and the hottest ocean temperature for this time of year. 

On July 31, Phoenix’s record 31 days of 110°F temperatures or higher ends with a mere 108°. Saguaro cacti are losing limbs or falling over because of the extreme heat. 

Temperatures in South America top 100°F—in the middle of winter in the southern hemisphere. 

Between 2000 and 2021, climate change cost the Colorado River basin 10 trillion gallons of water.

US national parks record five heat-related deaths so far this summer. 

Texas governor Greg Abbott signs a bill that will, starting in September, rescind mandatory water breaks for outdoor workers.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters calls off a nationwide strike against UPS after reaching a tentative agreement on a new contract. A major issue was drivers’ complaints about working in extreme heat; the new agreement promises more trucks with air conditioning.

A wildfire in Greece triggers a series of explosions at an air force ammunition depot.

All bees are determined to have originated in the ancient supercontinent of Gondwana. Modern bees are shrinking. 

The US Supreme Court clears the way for construction of the Mountain Valley Pipeline, wiping away challenges from environmental groups.

The federal ban on energy-wasting incandescent lightbulbs goes into effect. 

Rideshare company Lyft wants to ditch its bikeshare network, the nation’s largest. 

President Biden tells federal agencies to take into account the benefits that people derive from natural ecosystems when considering new projects.

The Unit 3 nuclear reactor at Georgia’s Plant Vogtle begin commercial operation, the first commercial reactor to go online in seven years. It is seven years behind schedule and more than $16 billion over budget.

A report from the National Audubon Society calls for the building of vastly more electricity transmission lines to accelerate renewable energy, even if that infrastructure kills some birds. 

President Biden dedicates a new, bi-state national monument to Emmett Till, a Black youth whose 1955 murder by white supremacists helped launch the modern civil rights movement. 

Windfall profits from the UK’s offshore wind farms force a recalculation of funding for the royal family. 

The Biden administration proposes raising automotive fuel economy standards to nearly 58 miles per gallon by 2032.

A roseate spoonbill—commonly seen along the Gulf Coast—turns up near Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

The Hangzhou Zoo in eastern China denies that its sun bear is a human dressed in a bear costume.