RISING HEAT AND EXTREME WEATHER: PUERTO RICO’S STRUGGLE AMIDST ITS HOTTEST SUMMER

As we enter the hottest documented summer in global history, extreme weather events pose a significant threat to already vulnerable regions. This year’s June was the hottest June on record, and Puerto Rico was no exception as the territory endured temperatures that felt as hot as 125 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Weather Service.

Extreme weather events have placed the islands as a cautionary tale on the rapid effects of climate change. Rising sea levels, longer droughts, and stronger, more frequent hurricanes are on the growing list of environmental concerns. However, the likelihood of extreme weather events occurring becomes more probable when we analyze the effects of global warming in the tropics.

I spoke to Dr. Kenneth Stephen Hughes, Associate Professor in Tectonic Geology, Geochronology, Geochemistry, and Structural Geology at the University of Puerto Rico Mayagüez and Dr. Eric Harmsen, Professor in Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico.