Fire & Ice: Heat & Hatred

Planetary Hospice

“In the article in Pressenza, we learn that Swiss Re suggests six strategies for addressing climate change. Not surprisingly, we also learn that the Trump administration is not interested in any of the six strategies.The bottom line from Pressenza is the same one we’ve heard and read many times: ‘Solution: Stop burning fossil fuels.’ Unfortunately, this is the fastest path to the extinction of all life on Earth because it causes the loss of aerosol masking, which heats the planet stunningly quickly. Not surprisingly, the aerosol masking effect remains the best-kept secret in climate science.”—Dr. Guy McPherson

By Dr. Guy McPherson

“Some say the world will end in fire,/Some say in ice./From what I’ve tasted of desire,/ I hold with those who favor fire./But if it had to perish twice/I think I know enough of hate/To say that for destruction ice/Is also great/And would suffice.”—Robert Frost

BELLOWS FALLS Vermont—(Hubris)—September/October 2025—Political figures in the United States are quick to mention military action as a solution to any problem. Although the US has been at war only five times—because war requires approval from Congress—it has engaged in military actions nearly every year since it has existed. America is, without question, the most lethal country in history. It’s difficult to imagine any other factor causing more human deaths than military actions.

From Pressenza, the International Press Agency, comes this story on 25 June 2025: Swiss Re SONAR 2025 Report: Global Heat Kills 480,000/Yr, here’s the lede: “Extreme heat is one of the world’s leading killers, outdistancing worldwide conflicts of 233,000 deaths in 2024 by more than double the count with 480,000 people dead from extreme heat.”

Swiss Re is one of the world’s largest reinsurers. Without Swiss Re, very few insurance companies would exist. You and I probably would not have the ability to insure our homes, automobiles, or health.

Human actions have collectively caused more deaths from an overheated planet than from military actions. It’s not even close: When it comes to death, extreme heat is more than twice as effective as military action. The story at Pressenza continues: “All indications suggest the death count via extreme heat is headed much higher because global warming is not appreciably slowing down as global CO2 emissions in the atmosphere increase every year like clockwork, setting new record levels every year, blanketing/retaining more heat every year. It’s stifling.”

The story at Pressenza continues by pointing out that Earth now has more than 430 parts per million of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Higher levels occurred only millions of years ago. According to Pressenza, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicated that “CO2 at 430 ppm would push the world beyond its target for avoiding dangerous climate change.” Earth has now passed this point of “dangerous climate change.”

The article at Pressenza refers to a press release from Swiss Re. Published on 12 June 2025, the press release is titled Extreme heat more deadly than floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes combined, finds Swiss Re’s SONAR report. The press release begins with three bullet points:

• Human lives lost to extreme heat exceed the total toll from earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes
• Heat-related risks extend to wildfires, healthcare systems, infrastructure, and agriculture
• Swiss Re’s latest SONAR report examines emerging structural risks, among them a rising number of artificial intelligence (AI) incidents and decreasing trust in institutions

The press release’s initial paragraph gives plenty of cause for concern: “Up to half a million people globally succumb to the effects of extreme heat each year, according to recent scientific research, exceeding the combined impact of floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes. This places the observable increase of extreme heat events among the most important emerging risks, according to Swiss Re’s 2025 SONAR report. The study highlights how this peril reaches beyond the human toll, mapping its effects across industries such as the energy and telecommunications sectors.”

The press release continues with compelling information about our overheated planet:

“There is clear evidence that extreme heat events are happening with greater severity, frequency and duration. July 2024 saw the hottest three days ever recorded on earth. Data is also emerging to show that, since the 1960s, heatwaves in the US are now three time[s] more prevalent, are almost a full degree hotter, and last a full day longer.”

“Extreme heat events can have a large impact on human health. Recent data show that around 480,000 deaths per year can be attributed to extreme heat events. Heat stress can lead to exhaustion, heatstroke and organ failure, while exacerbating cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. People at an advanced age and pregnant women are especially vulnerable.”

The press release continues with a section titled “Impacts beyond health”:

“Heatwaves coinciding with strong winds can also increase the likelihood of wildfires. According to Swiss Re Institute, global insured losses due to wildfires reached USD 78.5 billion during 2015–2024.

“The SONAR report reveals that a range of industries are vulnerable to extreme heat events. For example, the telecommunications industry faces significant risks from failing cooling systems in data centers or damage to terrestrial cables.

“Liability risks have already started to emerge, with corporates and institutions facing legal action for failing to mitigate heat-related harms. A 2021 lawsuit saw a US plaintiff seeking USD 52 billion from fossil fuel companies for losses caused by climate change-induced extreme weather events. Extreme heat is therefore set to intensify litigation which, in turn, drives up liability claims for insurers.

“Extreme heat events can also exacerbate other emerging risks. These include novel risks such as toxic fungi, which thrives in warmer temperatures and can invade the human body; as well more well-known risks, including crop failure and workers’ compensation claims from employees exposed to extreme heat conditions.”

The press release continues with a section titled “Emerging structural risks: declining trust and increasing AI incidents”:

“Alongside the deep dive into extreme heat, the 2025 SONAR report delves into a range of structural risks, such as the growing distrust in institutions, mortality trends and increasing litigation costs.”

“This rise of AI, especially generative AI, has seen a corresponding increase in the related risks. Evidence suggests that the number of AI-related incidents jumped by over 60 percent from 2023 to 2024. A third of these incidents were due to AI system failure.  With the insurance industry at the beginning of the product development cycle for AI-specific risks, a stronger understanding of the underlying risk will help insurers clarify coverage, define exclusions, and standardize wordings.”

Swiss Re’s Group Chief Risk Officer is quoted in this section: “Amid an increasingly interconnected risk environment, insurers are having to continuously adjust the scope of their risk horizon. Between the growing risk of extreme heat events, emerging liability risks or the changing scope of AI-related risks, it’s clear the conversation must evolve beyond individual topics to examine how large macro trends are now reshaping today’s risk landscape.”

In the article in Pressenza, we learn that Swiss Re suggests six strategies for addressing climate change. Not surprisingly, we also learn that the Trump administration is not interested in any of the six strategies.

The bottom line from Pressenza is the same one we’ve heard and read many times: “Solution: Stop burning fossil fuels.” Unfortunately, this is the fastest path to the extinction of all life on Earth because it causes the loss of aerosol masking, which heats the planet stunningly quickly. Not surprisingly, the aerosol masking effect remains the best-kept secret in climate science.