August 2026 tying July 2023 as the hottest month ever recorded, at 1.65 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, is a flashing red warning light that can no longer be ignored. Record sea surface temperatures and the warmest summer on record for western Europe show the heat is everywhere, and El Nino hasn't even peaked yet. The driver is the relentless burning of coal, oil and gas, and the bills are coming due in ruined harvests, higher food prices and lives lost.