🌡️ Triple-Digit Temperatures: The Southwest's Record Heat Crisis

Discover how breaking the 100°F barrier highlights the urgency for climate action and policy shifts.

Mar 25, 2025

😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾

🌵 Phoenix is about to experience its hottest March day ever, reaching 🌡️ 100 degrees! It's not even summer yet, and these early heatwaves are a sign that our planet 🌍 is getting warmer. Cities 🏙️ are even hotter because of all the buildings and roads, which keep in the heat. This hot weather is related to changes in our climate 🌤️, and there's been a lot of talk about what rules 📜 should be in place to help cool things down. Even though some big government plans to fix the climate are changing, lots of people 👥, cities, and places are finding new ways to help and keep cool ❄️.

🗝️ Takeaways

🌡️ Record Temperatures: Today's heat wave in Phoenix breaks historical records, hinting at more frequent future occurrences.
🔗 Climate Change Connection: Rising global temperatures and shifting weather patterns exacerbate heat events.
🌆 Urban Heat Island Effect: Urban areas endure added warming due to infrastructure like roads and buildings.
🏛️ EPA Changes: Post-2024 election adjustments to the EPA might weaken federal climate action.
📉 Health and Economic Impacts: Higher temperatures can intensify health risks and economic burdens, especially for vulnerable groups.
🌿 Local Resilience Efforts: States, cities, businesses, and individuals are leading the way toward climate action.

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Record-Breaking Heat in the Southwest: Climate Change and Environmental Policy at a Crossroads

March 25, 2025

As I sit down to write this, Phoenix is shattering records with its earliest triple-digit temperature day ever recorded. Today's forecast high of 100°F breaks the previous record set on March 26, 1988, while Tucson isn't far behind with temperatures expected to reach 95°F. It's not even April yet, and already the desert Southwest is giving us a preview of what could be another brutal summer.

This extreme early-season heat event isn't happening in isolation. It's occurring against the backdrop of accelerating climate change and significant shifts in environmental policy following the 2024 election. Today, I want to explore the connection between these record-breaking temperatures, our changing climate, and what the restructuring of the Environmental Protection Agency might mean for our environmental future.

The Heat is On: Understanding Today's Record Temperatures

The current heat wave gripping the Southwest is being driven by a strong high-pressure system that has parked itself over the region, causing temperatures to soar 15-20°F above normal for late March. While the desert Southwest is no stranger to heat, what makes this event particularly concerning is its timing.

Phoenix's previous record for the earliest 100°F day was March 26, 1988. Breaking this record by even a single day is significant in the climate record. Tucson's temperatures in the mid-90s are similarly unusual for this time of year.

Weather is, of course, not the same as climate. But when records like these fall with increasing frequency, climate scientists take notice. The trend matters more than individual events.

The Climate Change Connection

To understand why these early-season heat events are becoming more common, we need to look at the broader climate picture:

Rising global temperatures: The Earth's average temperature has increased by approximately 1.1°C (2°F) since pre-industrial times, with most of this warming occurring in recent decades.
Shifting weather patterns: Climate change doesn't just make things hotter—it disrupts established weather patterns, making extreme events more likely.
Heat amplification in urban areas: Cities like Phoenix experience an additional warming effect due to the urban heat island phenomenon, where concrete, asphalt, and buildings absorb and retain heat.
Decreased nighttime cooling: One of the most concerning aspects of climate change is that nighttime temperatures are rising faster than daytime highs, giving people and ecosystems less opportunity to recover from daytime heat.

The Southwest United States is considered a climate change "hot spot," where the effects of global warming are expected to be felt more intensely than in many other regions of the country. According to climate projections, what is considered extreme heat today may become the new normal in the coming decades.

The EPA's Historical Role in Climate Action

Before discussing recent changes to the EPA, it's important to understand the agency's historical role in addressing climate change:

The Environmental Protection Agency was established in 1970 under President Richard Nixon with a mission to protect human health and the environment. Over the decades, its responsibilities expanded to include addressing climate change, particularly after the Supreme Court's 2007 ruling in Massachusetts v. EPA, which determined that greenhouse gases could be regulated as pollutants under the Clean Air Act.

Some of the EPA's key climate initiatives have included:

The Clean Power Plan (introduced in 2015)
Vehicle emission standards
Methane regulations for oil and gas operations
Supporting research on climate science and adaptation
International cooperation on climate agreements

The EPA has traditionally been the primary federal agency with authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions, making it a crucial institution in America's response to climate change.

Changes at the EPA Following the 2024 Election

The 2024 presidential election has ushered in significant changes for environmental policy and the EPA specifically. Donald Trump, who previously served as president from 2017-2021, campaigned on promises to roll back environmental regulations that he characterized as burdensome to business and economic growth.

During his first term, President Trump withdrew the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement and oversaw significant reductions in environmental regulations. His administration worked to reduce the EPA's budget, staffing, and regulatory authority.

Since his January 2025 inauguration, the new administration has signaled plans for major changes to the EPA, including:

Appointing leadership skeptical of climate science
Proposing substantial budget cuts
Initiating reviews of existing climate regulations with the goal of reducing regulatory burden
Prioritizing fossil fuel development over climate considerations

While the term "dismantling" might overstate the case—the EPA continues to exist as a federal agency with statutory responsibilities—there is little doubt that its role in addressing climate change is being significantly curtailed.

What This Means for You

The combination of worsening climate impacts (like today's record heat) and reduced climate action at the federal level has several important implications:

Health impacts: Extreme heat is the deadliest form of weather-related hazard in the United States, causing more deaths than hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods. Reduced EPA oversight of air quality and heat-trapping pollutants could worsen health outcomes, particularly for vulnerable populations like the elderly, children, outdoor workers, and those with pre-existing conditions.

Economic costs: Climate change imposes significant economic costs through increased energy demand, reduced worker productivity, agricultural impacts, and property damage. Without strong federal climate policies, individuals, businesses, and local governments will increasingly bear these costs.

Water security: The Southwest already faces water challenges, which are exacerbated by higher temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. Changes to the EPA could affect water quality protection and management strategies.

Environmental justice: Communities of color and low-income neighborhoods often bear a disproportionate burden of environmental harms, including extreme heat. Reduced EPA enforcement of environmental justice initiatives could worsen these disparities.

Regional adaptation: With less federal leadership on climate, adaptation efforts will increasingly fall to state and local governments, businesses, and individuals.

The Path Forward

Despite the challenging outlook at the federal level, there are many reasons for hope and avenues for continued climate progress:

State and local leadership: Many states and cities remain committed to climate action regardless of federal policy. California, for example, has maintained stringent environmental standards and ambitious climate goals, while cities like Phoenix have developed heat action plans and cooling initiatives.

Business innovation: Many businesses recognize both the risks of climate change and the opportunities in the clean energy transition. Market forces continue to drive growth in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate-resilient infrastructure.

Community resilience: Communities across the Southwest are developing innovative approaches to extreme heat, from cool pavements and expanded tree canopy to neighborhood cooling centers and water distribution programs.

Individual action: Individual choices about energy use, transportation, food, and political engagement can collectively make a significant difference.

Legal challenges: Environmental organizations and states supportive of climate action have successfully challenged some environmental rollbacks in court and will likely continue to do so.

How to Learn More and Get Involved

If you're concerned about extreme heat and climate change, here are some resources to learn more and take action:

Local resilience plans: Check whether your city or county has a climate action plan or heat resilience strategy, and learn how you can support its implementation.
Heat health resources: The CDC offers guidance on preventing heat-related illness at https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat/.
Climate science information: For authoritative information on climate science, visit NASA's climate site at https://climate.nasa.gov/ or the National Climate Assessment at https://nca2018.globalchange.gov/
Advocacy opportunities: Organizations like the Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, and Citizens' Climate Lobby provide opportunities to advocate for climate action at all levels of government.
Community initiatives: Look for local tree-planting programs, cooling initiatives, or community solar projects that you can join or support.

As we face this record-breaking heat and navigate an uncertain policy landscape, staying informed, engaged, and proactive is more important than ever. Our climate challenges are significant, but so is our collective capacity for innovation, adaptation, and positive change.

What are your thoughts on how we should address these challenges? Have you experienced unusual heat or other climate impacts in your region? Leave a comment below and join the conversation.

Do you think state and local governments can effectively fill the void if federal climate action is reduced? Why or why not?
What personal adaptations have you made (or are you considering) to prepare for more frequent extreme heat events in your area?