Science

More than 80 million Americans are currently under dangerous heat advisories. Temperatures in California's Death Valley hover around 120 degrees Fahrenheit at midnight. Phoenix as of July 31 had seen 31 straight days of heat over 110 F, the cause of 25 deaths. Spain, Greece and Italy have recorded all-time high temperatures. In several Middle Eastern countries, the heat index mid-July reached 152 F, considered almost at the limit for human survival.

Catholics in Greece have called for lessons to be learned after a wave of fires devastated parts of the country amid highest summer temperatures for half a century. "The pope has talked many times about how we all need to collaborate in reversing climate change," said Archbishop Josif Printezis of Naxos, Andros, Tinos and Mykonos, secretary-general of Greece's Catholic bishops' conference.

"In the Lord’s prayer, we ask that his will be done on earth as in heaven. So how can we make the situation better?" asked Erin Haynes, who is leading the study.

The cry of the Earth is both a call for help and a call to action. The scientific evidence of climate change impacts leaves no room for complacency; God entrusts us with the responsibility to be stewards of creation.

A letter written by Albert Einstein on the creation of the universe is for sale publicly at the Raab Collection in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. It is valued at $125,000.

A request from Irish bishops strives to increase awareness of church teaching on ecology and highlight the role of people of faith in protecting creation.

Cyclone Yaku's path through Peru's northern region in March was so destructive that its direct effects — such as the destruction of homes by floods and landslides — and indirect effects — especially an unprecedented outbreak of dengue fever — are still being felt today.

The drier conditions and warmer temperatures associated with climate change can create the conditions that make it easier for wildfires to start. Landscapes — both soil and trees — are now often more thoroughly damaged, making it more difficult for them to regenerate. The concentration of greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere is also raised by wildfire activity.