This summer is shaping up to be one for the books—and not in a good way.

Europe just experienced the continent’s worst-ever pre-July heat wave, which broke temperature records in at least nine countries and resulted in more than 1,300 excess deaths. (Likely a massive underestimate, if one scientist’s preliminary analysis proves true.) It’s the 15th-deadliest heat wave in recorded history—and while a lack of air conditioning, a large elderly population, and heat-trapping infrastructure all contributed to the crisis, climate change made it much worse.

Just ask the attribution scientists.

According to one organization’s rapid study, this heat event would’ve been “virtually impossible” five years ago, and is 200 times more likely to happen today than it would’ve been two decades ago.

200 times.

The situation has changed drastically in just a few decades, with emissions fueling and scaling disasters more rapidly than anyone expected.

And Europe isn’t the only continent navigating this reality.

Here in the U.S., a massive heat dome has been driving up temperatures across the Midwest, South, and East Coast, bringing consecutive days of record-high temperatures to major cities. The deadly heat-humidity combo is pushing “feels like” temperatures well past 100 degrees—and even with air conditioning and cooling centers, the risk remains sky-high for children, the elderly, and individuals with underlying medical conditions.

Our current moment is far from normal—and people can tell.

With most forms of extreme weather, it can be difficult to see trends in intensity and frequency over time. But heat is different. The same people and communities are regularly living through record-breaking heat waves. They’re seeing these disasters last longer, witnessing death counts rise, and feeling the physical toll on their own bodies. They’re seeing heat jeopardize the very things that help shape their sense of normalcy—their daily routines, community events, and summer staples like outdoor get-togethers and sports outings.

It’s making people realize that there can be no “business as usual” until we do something about it.

We’ve talked about this before—climate change will remain on the back burner for most Americans until they feel like it’s affecting them personally. With extreme heat already happening regularly, we have a massive opportunity to help people connect the dots to climate change and empower them to become advocates in their own right.

Join us as we fight for extreme heat protections, resilience-building measures, and climate-inclusive reporting!