“In the past century, the Earth has warmed 1 degree Celsius. But that’s just an average. Some parts of the globe — including the mountains of Romania and the steppes of Mongolia — have registered increases twice as large. It has taken decades or in some cases a century. But for huge swaths of the planet, climate change is a present-tense reality, not one looming ominously in the distant future.” One of those places is New Jersey. And it’s coming to a town near you. A very interesting look at the state of climate change from WaPo: Extreme climate change has arrived in America.

+ “The fines in Pakistan will also be steep — $31 for using a single bag, $63 for selling one and up to $31,000 for manufacturing them.” WaPo: Pakistan moves to ban single-use plastic bags: The health of 200 million people is at stake.