As Hurricane Beryl tore through the Caribbean leaving a trail of death, destruction, pain, and suffering in its wake, it sends a clear message that time is running out for the world to truly take the climate crisis seriously. And it’s not just hurricanes.

Let’s start with the hurricane season, which officially runs from June through November in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricane Beryl was the earliest hurricane ever to reach Category 5 and it’s only the second time an Atlantic hurricane has reached Category 5 status in July, according to the National Hurricane Center, and it was the only hurricane to reach Category 4 in June. What’s causing this record-breaking activity?

A recent CNN Weather story stated: “The abnormally warm ocean waters that facilitated Beryl’s alarming strengthening are a clear indicator that this hurricane season will be far from normal in a world warming due to fossil fuel pollution.” Experts say that the ocean is as warm now as it would normally be in the peak of the hurricane season, September, noting that the storm’s rapid intensification is atypical this early in the season.