Climate Extremes: Heat, Smoke, and Wildfires Wreak Havoc.

Wildfires are burning across Canada, while Puerto Rico is under a severe heat alert, and Earth's oceans have heated up at an alarming rate. Human-caused climate change is a force behind these extremes. The recent fires have also punctured the notion that some places are relatively safe from the worst hazards of climate change. The world's richest continent remains unprepared for the hazards of the not-too-distant future. A global weather pattern known as El Niño, which can drive up temperatures and set heat records, has arrived.