Currently— April 21st, 2022

The weather, currently.

An early heatwave continues across India and Pakistan this week, bringing extreme temperatures as the region recovers from a record-breakingly hot Spring. Last month, India experienced its hottest March since the meteorological department began taking records 122 years ago.

This week, maximum temperatures were continuously over 40°C (104°F) in northwest India and Pakistan for several days. In certain regions, highs were about 10°Celsius (50°F) above the average April temperatures.

The summer months of April, May, and June often bring sweltering temperatures, however, they are not typically so intense this early.

This heatwave also coincided with Ramadan—a Muslim holy month, when many Muslims fast during the day—making the heat particularly dangerous.

Heatwaves in South Asia have become more frequent and intense due to climate change and are expected to worsen in the coming years.

What you need to know, currently.

Happy 4/20! If you’re with it enough, this is a great day to call your representatives and encourage them to support the Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement Act.The legislation would legalize weed nationwide, expunge the records of those arrested on cannabis offenses, and set up a trust to fund services for communities that have been impacted by over policing.

Were it to pass, it’s also likely to make the marijuana industry more sustainable. States that have legalized weed are better able to regulate its production (ensuring that pesticides and fertilizer used in growing cannabis don’t pollute local waterways, for example) as well as regulate its carbon footprint.

Because weed is often harvested in growhouses, it uses up an enormous amount of electricity. Colorado—with harsh winters—was the first state to legalize weed, but its carbon footprint there is substantial. A study published in Nature Sustainability last year showed that the state’s cannabis industry produced more emissions than its coal mines.

“The emissions that come from growing 1 ounce, depending on where it’s grown in the US, is about the same as burning 7 to 16 gallons of gasoline,” Hailey Summers, one of the study’s authors, told New Scientist. Legalizing weed nationwide and creating incentives to grow it outdoors could reduce its expanding carbon footprint.