Greener Living

Taylor Swift Concert Tragedy Highlights Dangers of Climate Change

The extreme heat that baked the crowd was a direct consequence of rising temperatures caused by carbon emissions. 

Taylor Swift fans shelter from the sun outside the Nilton Santos stadium in Rio De Janeiro on Nov. 18.

Photographer: Silvia Izquierdo/AP
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The death of a Taylor Swift fan in the midst of a heat wave in Brazil is another sign that we’re not doing enough to adapt to a rapidly changing climate.

Scientific models have accurately predicted for years that global warming leads to more extreme and frequent heat waves, says Paulo Artaxo, a Brazilian atmospheric physicist and a member of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.