Happy Nice Mall

Temperatures in the United States last year smashed more heat and cold records in any year since 1994, according to the New York Times’ analysis of weather station data.

The Times analyzed temperature data from more than 7,800 weather stations in the United States. Records have been broken somewhere in the country every year since at least 1970, but 2021 stands alone compared to recent years.

Heat waves created most of these records. Since 1948, when weather observations were first digitally recorded by the U.S. government, 8.3 percent of all weather stations nationwide hit new highs last year.

Why is it important: Extreme temperature events often show the most visible effects of climate change.

Two types of air pollution more often overlap

In New Mexico, where I live, the reaction of vehicle emissions with sunlight has created so much ozone that the air has become unhealthy, especially people with asthma or other respiratory diseases. We also have some days where airborne smoke particles are a respiratory hazard, often from large forest fires hundreds of kilometers away.

And increasingly since 2000, research I wrote last week, we have some days where both types of pollution occur simultaneously at unhealthy levels, not just in New Mexico but throughout the West. That means millions of people in the region are exposed to a “double hit” of harmful pollutants, more days each year, as one researcher puts it.

The researchers blamed extreme heat and worsening wildfires for the increased frequency of what they called a “co-emergence” of bad ozone and smog pollution across the region. And they suggested that climate change plays a role – which makes sense, because global warming is linked to both more extreme heat events and larger fires.

quotation: “Something may not be as likely to kill you personally in the short term,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist and one of the study’s authors. “But if you put the same risk on tens of millions of people over and over again, the social burden is actually very high,” he said.

Don’t just watch: A movie promotes climate action

“A kick in your pants.” Director Adam McKay said he wanted his new movie “Don’t Look Up” to be like this.

A Netflix chart-topping film stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence as scientists trying to persuade leaders and the public to take seriously a planet-killing comet that is speeding toward Earth. The comet is a metaphor for climate change, and McKay, DiCaprio and Jonah Hill, who play the White House chief of staff in the film, urge audiences to join in on climate action big and small.

as i wrote this week’s articleOther Hollywood proposals have had real-world implications: President Ronald Reagan decided to prevent nuclear war after watching a 1983 TV movie. But there is debate as to whether “Don’t Look Up” can do that, and whether McKay’s climate change metaphor works.

Numbers: The movie is one of the most popular movies ever, with 152 million hours watched in the past week, according to Netflix, which self-reports its numbers.

Finding a story by asking ‘really stupid questions’

Climate reporter Somini Sengupta talks about her inspiration to become a journalist in this week’s Times Insider episode explaining who we are and what we do: find ideas and unwind.

More skiers in the United States are doing something you wouldn’t expect: skiing uphill. The reason is related to both the coronavirus and climate change.

Ski touring, a hybrid style combining elements of cross-country skiing and downhill skiing, has long been popular in Europe. In North America though, it’s often practiced by athletes and mountaineers looking to trek through the countryside, where they can only ski on pristine powder.

That changed in 2020 when the pandemic closed resorts across the country. Ski tours have become the only affordable way for recreational skiers to take to the slopes.

Now the lifts are back on, but the tours seem to have held up as a safer and more reliable way to ski on a warming planet. Last year, more than a million people used special touring equipment in the United States. “It’s not linear growth,” said Drew Hardesty, a skier and forecaster at the Avalanche Center in Utah. “Exponential.”

It’s safer because, experts say, climate change is making avalanche risks more unpredictable in underdeveloped countries. More reliable because warming has reduced snow cover. And on managed trails, resorts have the option to add artificial snow.

You can do read full article here.

If you don’t get Climate Fwd: in your inbox can register here

We would love your feedback on the newsletter. We read every message and reply to many! Please email your thoughts and suggestions. climate team@nytimes.com.