The following items were reported in the past week:

China is experiencing a massive, continent-wide record-setting heat wave. Several major cities across the country have recorded all-time high temperatures. Shanghai, for example, reached 105°F after setting century-old heat records each day for the previous week. Dozens of deaths are reported so far.

Greenland recorded its highest temperature (78.6F) since records began on Wednesday. This, as scientists grow increasingly concerned about the future of Greenland’s’ ice sheet. Scientists have previously calculated that if the average temperature in Greenland increases by 3°C (5.4°F), its ice sheet will begin to melt at an abnormal and potentially catastrophic rate. Three-quarters of Greenland is covered in ice, and even a partial melting could add a significant rise to global sea levels. Scientists are clear that this would have disastrous consequences for low-lying countries like Bangladesh and the Maldives. Earlier this month, an iceberg 100 square miles in size – twice the size of Manhattan — broke away from the Petermann glacier in northern Greenland, and recent studies have claimed that Greenland may be near a “tipping point,”’ meaning higher temperatures could push it into a much more damaging melting cycle.

And in the US Congress:

Tim Murphy (R-Pa), Bill Cassidy (R-La), and Eric Cantor (R-Va) led new efforts to block new greenhouse gas emission regulations and energy efficiency standards. (See details here). This included rules which, if approved, would 1) prevent the Environmental Protection Agency from factoring the “social cost of carbon” into any rule, and 2) give the Energy Department power to block EPA greenhouse gas regulations if such measures impeded “economic growth.” As reported here on Planetsave previously, this is not the first time Republican-led Congressional leaders have fought against carbon regulations.

Juxtaposed, however, with this week’s news about China and Greenland, it begs the question: isn’t it time to start calling Congressional efforts to block greenhouse gas regulations for what they are — dangerous national security risks for people all over the world, including the US?