Part 2 of the Climate Crisis Songs Series
Welcome to part two of my Climate Crisis Songs Series! We continue with ‘Split‘ by 88rising & Niki. This next one largely focuses on the extreme weather fluctuations the climate crisis is causing relating to increased heat and precipitation.
If you’re coming from part one of this series, where I covered ‘Feels Like Summer‘ by Childish Gambino, don’t worry; this part isn’t anywhere near as long and is much more straightforward. But just as before, it’s very data-focused and educational. So let’s “split the difference,” and jump right into it!
Split – 88Rising ft. NIKI (2021)
With this song, the reference to the climate crisis is right at the beginning:
“It’s a West Coast winter, sun’s still a furnace
So I keep tanning, just never on purpose.
…
“Christmas is coming, I miss my mama
Well, least I got my daddy, but he’s in Jakarta
And there, it’s raining, while here, it’s dry as bone.”
“It’s a West Coast winter, sun’s still a furnace; So I keep tanning, just never on purpose.”
While Nevada is not a West Coast state, the mention of winters becoming increasingly mild or even hot in some places in the Western United States hits home for me personally.
Over the past three years here in Las Vegas, November 1st hit a high between 81-86 °F. For context, our usual maximum temperature for November is 66.2 °F. As a kid, I remember feeling freezing while trick or treating on Halloween. These last few years, however, it’s been very warm later and later into the year. My arms still burn in the sun while I’m driving pretty much all year round now.
In addition, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), “February 2023 was Earth’s 4th warmest on record. Europe saw its second-warmest winter as global sea ice set a new record low.” In March 2020, NOAA also reported that the meteorological winter spanning December 2019 through February 2020 was “the 6th hottest on record for U.S.”
Now, let’s focus on the artist herself, NIKI. She’s based in Los Angeles, which has an average maximum daytime temperature of 65.3 °F in December. Since this song came out mid-November 2021, I am guessing that she was inspired by the winter of 2020.
On December 21, 2020 – the first day of winter – Downtown L.A. recorded a high of 84 °F – nearly 20 degrees above average. So, the sun feeling like a furnace is an appropriate comparison and commentary on the state of things. And for someone living in L.A., feeling summer temperature during Christmas time is absolutely unsettling.
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“And there, it’s raining, while here, it’s dry as bone”
In comparison, last year, while not as high of a temperature difference, the first day of winter in L.A. was 71.1 °F, which was still five degrees above the average.
Instead, the big difference was seen on the first day of summer in L.A.: a high of 89.1 °F on June 20, 2022 – almost 14 degrees above average. And with the megadrought the West is experiencing, the “dry as bone” line is chilling.
Now, this past winter we saw California get drenched, which provides an interesting contrast to this lyric. According to the L.A. Almanac, July 2020 to June 2021 measured 5.82 inches of rain. But from July 2022 through just this past March, L.A. already recorded 27.79 inches of rain, with three months still left in the season! And this is just in Los Angeles.
According to California Water Watch, the state has already received 30.26″ of precipitation as of April 26th – 142% of the historical yearly average of 21.29”.
With the historical max of 37.96” and five months left in the CA water year ending September 30th, the state may break their precipitation record this year. Depending on when El Niño returns, which is expected later this year, it will be intersting to see just how much water the state gets and by how much they break the record.
That said, it’s important to not to become complacent. And it can be easy to feel reassured by all the snow and rain. California Governor even eased drought restrictions at the end of March. However, despite the unprecedented rain, “regions and communities across the state continue to experience water supply shortages many regions.
About 743,000 California resident still reside in drought areas. according to the NOAA Drought Monitor.
“Caught between two worlds”
While not a climate related lyric, when NIKI later sings the chorus “Guess I’m forever caught between two worlds,” it makes me think of the massive fluctuations we’re seeing in our climate.
We will likely continue to oscilate between periods of extreme heat and intense precipitation patterns, caught between two worlds of severe weather.
And with the approaching El Niño set to bring both rain and heat, this winter and next summer are going to be brutal.
Some Relief From the Heat
Just like in my last article, where I mentioned the All-In Clark County Climate Initiative as something positive in the local Las Vegas community, I want to continue that here and mention another local group acting to combat the climate emergency! This organization, in particular, is addressing the worsening heat here in Nevada.
Addressing the issues of the urban heat island effect and food insecurity, Nevada Plants plants trees all over Las Vegas and beyond.
From shade trees to peach trees, Nevada Plants has planted 478 trees at the time of this article’s publishing!
A Peek at the Next of the Climate Crisis Songs
In the next part of this series, we’ll look at a pandemic art favorite of mine: ‘That Funny Feeling‘ by Bo Burnham from the ‘Inside‘ Netflix special album. Actually, the next two climate crisis songs will be from this album.
(Updated) Part Three is now available! In that article, I’ll discuss rising sea levels and more.
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