On oppressive heat
I was trying to write an essay yesterday but the heatwave melted my brain to mush. I am not talking about the London-style heatwave of 22 degrees C (71 F), with signs and announcements on the Tube (subway) warning you to always carry a bottle of water with you because of the heat. No, I am talking about an actual heatwave of 38C/100F, which is taxing even for those who live here. And for this woman who has lived for nearly two decades in the moderate climate of Northern Europe, where you can wear ankle boots pretty much all year round, this heat is indescribably rude.
It’s just rude to be so oppressive that one can’t even lift an arm without feeling exhausted. It’s rude that the ice in your drink melts in a few minutes. Instead of gorging on ice cream, I have developed a taste for frozen cherries and berries. They are delightful as they just start to defrost – only today my bowl of frozen cherries melted to a sorry soggy mush of sad fruit sitting ankle deep in red water – within eight minutes of leaving the freezer.
As luck would have it I am staying in the only room in the house without air conditioning. Thinking back on how I used to turn on the aircon when the temperature reached 25C in the Big Smoke, I feel rather pathetic in the evenings when the much-promised rain doesn’t come. Lying on the bed with a fan full-on, mixing warm air with hot, one has no choice but to surrender. Surrender to the oppressive heat, the mushy defrosted fruit and the knowledge that more air conditioning units will only destroy us more and that the task of tackling the rapidly and brutally rising temperatures around the world is one for all of humanity, not just those whose lives can be destroyed by wildfires.
As I got the second dose of the covid vaccine last week I felt overwhelming joy – and overwhelming gratitude to science. Humanity is capable of incredible breakthroughs and solving devastating problems. In this case, the development and rollout of vaccines happened incredibly fast too.
So why are we so slow in tackling climate problems? Because it doesn’t affect us all at the same time? So far, it hasn’t even really affected many of us. But sitting in this mind-melting heat I was reminded of the devastating wildfires that hit Australia just before covid. Remember those pictures of koalas with burns, crying? Now you do. We kind of forgotten about it all. But the problem hasn’t gone away and it is not limited to Oz or California. I just heard a tornado killed several people – in Central Europe. There are no tornadoes in that part of the world.
You don’t have to be an expert to realise that whatever else we can do to tackle the climate emergency our buildings also need serious attention. We need to fit in better with nature. We need to learn to be better at working with our surroundings as opposed to trying to conquer them. I always think of the incredible minimalistic buildings in Scandinavia, right in the middle of forests and by lakes. Forget show off. Eco-friendly is hotter.
It is not that hard to move beyond solar panels. There are natural ventilation systems; or how about living walls? Incorporating nature into architecture has to be the best way to create liveable cities that don’t burden their environment. Oh and my favourites: rooftop gardens. Who doesn’t love rooftop gardens?! Why don’t we put gardens on every square and every roof? They cool the environment and host whole ecosystems of plants and birds and bees. Not to mention how great they are for our mental health and wellbeing.
According to the FAO, a mature tree can absorb up to 150 kg of CO2 per year. Especially in cities with high levels of pollution, by filtering pollutants and fine particulates, trees can improve air quality. In addition, through evapotranspiration from their leaves, trees in cities can help to cool the air between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, thus reducing the urban “heat island” effect (which can cause the temperature in cities to be 7 degrees higher).
The summer before the pandemic I spent most days working in a gorgeous rooftop garden at Canary Wharf. Yes, I was already practising remote working then. Being surrounded by trees in the middle of the financial district was a beautiful thing. We need more rooftop gardens.
As I dream of sitting in a cool cave or walking on a cold windy beach in waterproof overalls, I wonder how quickly we could turn our lovely blue planet more sustainably habitable if we treated our climate situation the same way we have treated the global pandemic. Then I realise that is exactly what we are doing.
While North America and the whole of Europe is weeks away from being as vaccinated as possible bar making jabs compulsory, the developing world is years away from achieving the same. Experts warn that the Delta variant, which is expected to still be manageable with the current vaccines, can cause an explosion of cases in Africa.
Similarly, the developed world will move heaven and earth once the climate catastrophe will impact most of its lands. What if we didn’t wait till the beaches of Canada and Northern Europe become tropical in the summer? Since it will be too late by then for places like the Maldives.
It is heartening to see more and more serious discussions about increasing plant-based eating and reducing flights. At the same time, it is starting to look like other than those weary regular business flyers who experienced some sweet months of extra time everyone wants to be back to jetting around the world or at least on summer holidays by a tropical or the Mediterranean Sea.
My own friends look at me as if I was mad when I say I am still not planning big trips over the next few months. Everyone is itching to get going. I am biding my time as no doubt I will be back on the road again, full time, sooner or later. My hope? That all this pent up energy that people want to expend will all calm down soon enough and we will reach a happier equilibrium.
An equilibrium where we will travel, but more mindfully about where, why and how. Where our newfound walking and cycling habits will stick and our cities become happier, healthier, greener places. With lots of rooftop gardens.
I mean, a girl can dream, right? Especially when it is just way too hot to do anything else.