1) Half of world’s population endured extra month of extreme heat in the last year

Courtesy Barrie360.com and The Associated Press

By Isabella O’Malley, May 30, 2025

Scientists say 4 billion people, about half the world’s population, experienced at least one extra month of extreme heat because of human-caused climate change from May 2024 to May 2025.
The extreme heat caused illness, death, crop losses, and strained energy and health care systems, according to the analysis from World Weather Attribution, Climate Central and the Red Cross.

Heat Is the Deadliest Extreme Weather Event

“Although floods and cyclones often dominate headlines, heat is arguably the deadliest extreme event,” the report said. Many heat-related deaths are unreported or are mislabelled by other conditions like heart disease or kidney failure.

The scientists used peer-reviewed methods to study how much climate change boosted temperatures in an extreme heat event and calculated how much more likely its occurrence was because of climate change. In almost all countries in the world, the number of extreme heat days has at least doubled compared with a world without climate change.

Puerto Rico Among the Hardest Hit

Caribbean islands were among the hardest hit by additional extreme heat days. Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States, endured 161 days of extreme heat. Without climate change, only 48 would have occurred.

“It makes it feel impossible to be outside,” said Charlotte Gossett Navarro, chief director for Puerto Rico at Hispanic Federation, a nonprofit focused on social and environmental issues in Latino communities, who lives in the San Juan area and was not involved in the report.

“Even something as simple as trying to have a day outdoors with family, we weren’t able to do it because the heat was too high,” she said, reporting feeling dizzy and sick last summer.

When the power goes out, which happens frequently in Puerto Rico in part because of decades of neglected grid maintenance and damage from Hurricane Maria in 2017, Navarro said it is difficult to sleep. “If you are someone relatively healthy, that is uncomfortable, it’s hard to sleep … but if you are someone who has a health condition, now your life is at risk,” Gossett Navarro said.

Heat Waves Hit the Most Vulnerable Hardest

Heat waves are silent killers, said Friederike Otto, associate professor of climate science at Imperial College London, one of the report’s authors. “People don’t fall dead on the street in a heat wave … people either die in hospitals or in poorly insulated homes and therefore are just not seen,” he said.
Low-income communities and vulnerable populations, such as older adults and people with medical conditions, suffer the most from extreme heat.

Extreme Heat Events Around the Globe

The high temperatures recorded in the extreme heat events that occurred in Central Asia in March, South Sudan in February and in the Mediterranean last July would not have been possible without climate change, according to the report. At least 21 people died in Morocco after temperatures hit 118 degrees Fahrenheit (48 degrees Celsius) last July.

People are noticing temperatures are getting hotter but don’t always know it is being driven by climate change, said Roop Singh, head of urban and attribution at the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre, in a World Weather Attribution statement.

Calls for Urgent Action and Long-Term Planning

“We need to quickly scale our responses to heat through better early warning systems, heat action plans, and long-term planning for heat in urban areas to meet the rising challenge,” Singh said.

City-led initiatives to tackle extreme heat are becoming popular in parts of South Asia, North America, Europe and Australia to coordinate resources across governments and other agencies. One example is a tree-planting initiative launched in Marseille, France, to create more shaded areas.

Strategies to Prepare—and the Need to Cut Fossil Fuels

The report says strategies to prepare for heat waves include monitoring and reporting systems for extreme temperatures, providing emergency health services, cooling shelters, updated building codes, enforcing heat safety rules at work, and designing cities to be more heat-resilient.

But without phasing out fossil fuels, heat waves will continue becoming more severe and frequent and protective measures against the heat will lose their effectiveness, the scientists said.

2) County of Simcoe launches new voluntary multi-residential organics program

Courtesy Barrie360.com and News Release

By County of Simcoe,  May 28, 2025

Simcoe County Council has approved a new voluntary organics collection program for multi-residential properties, set to roll out in the spring and summer. This initiative aims to expand access to organics diversion for residents living in multi-residential buildings that currently do not receive county-provided waste and recycling services.

The county collects organics from all residential properties with five units or less and some industrial, commercial, and institutional businesses across the region.

Currently, there are approximately 13,800 multi-residential units (i.e. apartments, condominiums, duplexes) that exist across the county, with approximately 4,200 of these already receiving organics collection. The remaining 9,600 multi-residential units, which may be located on private roads or in buildings that do not have ownership of waste, have not had access to the county’s curbside collection programs. This new program aims to close that gap by offering organics collection to all interested properties.

The decision follows a successful pilot program that was launched in 2023, which included 15 properties and 615 units. Audit results from the pilot demonstrated that residents are willing to participate in organics diversion when given the opportunity.

Implementation costs will be determined by the number of participating buildings/units that opt into the program. If, for example, participation rates reach 100% the anticipated annual cost would be $125,000. Costs will be accounted for in the county’s 2026 operating budget.

Key components of the county-wide rollout include:

• Continue service at pilot locations: Properties involved in the pilot will maintain uninterrupted organics collection to allow us to learn and adapt before the broader launch.
• Phased onboarding in 2026: The program will be introduced gradually in the spring and summer of 2026 to ensure residents are informed and prepared.
• Provide curbside carts: Participating properties will receive the necessary collection containers.
• Promotion and education: Each participating unit will receive a comprehensive kit that includes an information brochure, compostable bags, and a kitchen catcher. Additionally, communication with property managers will be maintained during the first year of implementation to look for areas of improvement.
• Regular monitoring: Visual and weighted waste audits will track contamination and participation rates, ensuring program effectiveness.
• Centralized Communication: All program-related communication with property managers will be coordinated through a single point of contact to ensure consistency and clarity.

“This initiative underscores the county’s ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability and waste reduction, empowering more residents to take part in building a greener future,” said Warden Basil Clarke. “Simcoe County continues to be a regional leader in organic waste diversion, and with forward-thinking programs like this, we’re well-positioned to maintain that leadership for years to come.”