Two news headlines this past week showed what a precarious and contradictory period we are in for Earth’s climate: Global temperatures hit record highs and forecasters said planet-warming emissions are set to drop sharply in the U.S.  

We live in times of both high heat and high hopes for meeting the climate challenge. 

First the heat: Last Monday's global temperatures shattered a record set just the day before, making it the hottest two-day stretch ever recorded, according to the European Union's Copernicus Climate Change Service.  

NASA data also confirmed that July 22 was the hottest day on record. “These record-breaking temperatures are part of a long-term warming trend driven by human activities, primarily the emission of greenhouse gases,” NASA said in a release. 

As The Washington Post reported, about 3.6 billion people around the planet endured temperatures that would have been unlikely if not for the impact from burning fossil fuels, according to an analysis by the group Climate Central. 

Last week’s record temperatures follow an unprecedented string of 12 straight months that were the warmest on record. Since last July, the Post reported, the global average temperature has been at least 1.5 degrees Celsius (or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. 

Natalie Mahowald, chair of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University, told Newsweek in an email Wednesday that the heat waves people have suffered around the world this year are a sign of what’s to come with further warming.  

"These health impacts from high temperatures are small compared to what we will experience in the future if we don't cut emissions quickly and deeply," Mahowald said. 

Now the hope: New analysis of climate pollution from the U.S. economy shows the country will likely reduce greenhouse gas emissions by anywhere from 38 percent to 56 percent over the coming decade. 

Rhodium Group, an independent research firm that specializes in energy and climate issues, has done an annual analysis of the emissions from power generation, transportation, industry and other major carbon pollution sources for a decade. 

Its latest work shows the U.S. is “on track to meaningfully accelerate its rate of decarbonization," as government climate policies take full effect and the costs of clean-energy sources plummet.    

“Clean energy is no longer a niche part of the U.S. economy," Rhodium Associate Director Ben King told Newsweek. "It's becoming an increasing part of how we do business." 

Rhodium's forecast calls for the rate of U.S. emissions reductions to increase each year by 2 to 4 percent, even as the economy and demand for energy both grow. 

King said that shows that the U.S. is “decoupling” emissions growth from economic growth, a key element of a successful clean-energy transition. However, even the sharp drop in emissions Rhodium projects will not be enough for the U.S. to meet its international commitments needed to avoid the most dangerous warming in the coming decades. 

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