Cue Earth, Wind and Fire’s “September” and sing along to this enviro-remix:
Do you remember… that one really hot week in September? We were changing the climate, no question. And so we had a heat waaaave..
Ba-dee-ya, say, do you remember? Ba-dee-ya, the heat wave in September. Ba-dee-ya, brought on by climate chaaange.”
Musical jokes aside, the record-breaking highs the D.C. region experienced in early September this year illustrated a small taste of the temperatures that roasted the world in 2023. We’re finishing out the hottest 12-month period scientists have ever recorded globally.
The heat supercharged natural disasters throughout the year, including wildfires, droughts, intense storms and flooding. The year’s extreme weather stems from a combination of climate change — caused by fossil fuel emissions trapping heat in the atmosphere — and a natural weather pattern called El Niño.
With 2023 providing a preview of how life could look on a hotter and hotter planet, global leaders took action. This year’s United Nations climate conference in Dubai surprised the world last week by wrapping up with a deal to transition away from fossil fuels. Closer to home, the District released its plan to become carbon neutral by 2045, while Mayor Muriel Bowser attended the UN conference in early December, too.
This was also the first full year of the Washington Informer’s dedicated climate and environmental justice coverage (shameless plug: you can find it most weeks in the Our Earth section). Check out a few of the biggest DMV environmental stories from 2023:
June: Hazy Skies, Scratchy Throats
An unprecedented wildfire season in Canada enveloped the D.C. region in smoke for several days in June. The haze produced many apocalyptic-looking photos from cities all over the northeast U.S., and the DMV experienced multiple “code red,” or unhealthy, air quality alerts.
“The amount of pollution that we’re seeing… it’s insane, for lack of a better way of describing it,” Dr. Joseph L. Wilkins, a leading wildfire and air pollution expert and professor at Howard University, said at the time. “This is something that folks aren’t accustomed to, and we aren’t meant to breathe this as humans.”
July: Ivy City Neighbors Demand Chemical Plant Shut Down
Residents in the historic Black neighborhood Ivy City, in Northeast D.C., mobilized for environmental justice throughout 2023. In July, neighbors and community organizations organized a protest calling for the closure of a small chemical facility that sits right next to homes — in fact, it shares a wall with a house where a family with young kids lives.
Four months later, Ward 5 Council member Zachary Parker stood outside that chemical facility to announce his introduction of legislation to address compounding environmental injustices. Ward 5 contains about half of all D.C.’s land zoned for industrial use, and neighborhoods like Ivy City and nearby Brentwood often face pollution from both stationary industry sources and high-traffic roadways.
August: Flash Flood Causes Deaths of 10 Dogs at Canine Daycare in Northeast
When about two inches of rainfall fell over just 45 minutes late in the afternoon on Aug. 14, 10 dogs drowned after flooding broke the glass at District Dogs on Rhode Island Avenue NE.
The incident caused furor over continued failures of D.C.’s 911 call center.
The District Dogs location, which is now closed, had experienced dangerous floods before, including in 2022. Just about a month after the incident, the city completed the Northeast Boundary Tunnel. That last piece of a massive underground tunnel project by DC Water runs right underneath Rhode Island Avenue NE and should alleviate flooding in the area.
October: Pepco Pays for Pollution
The D.C. attorney general announced in early October that the city would receive $57 million for Anacostia River cleanup efforts in a major settlement with Pepco. The deal marked the biggest environmental protection settlement in D.C. history, according to the attorney general’s office.
In general, 2023 saw some important strides toward a truly clean Anacostia River. The Northeast Boundary Tunnel’s completion will prevent 98% of sewage overflows into the river. Armed with tests showing the water was safe, Anacostia Riverkeeper planned a swimming event, which would’ve allowed residents to legally jump into the Anacostia for the first time in 50 years. Sadly, the event was rained out twice.