Despite the excellent advice, I see that people do all the wrong things: stay in the sun, wear tight, dark-colored clothing, likely don't use sun-screen (for which they will pay for several days following, with skin cancer possible in their futures).
In 1987, I stayed with friends in London and went out and bought a rotary fan. My London friends laughed at me. But in later years, they admitted that it made a big difference in their own lives. And when it broke, they went out and bought a new one!
3
Stay in the shade! cf. Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the mid-day sun, etc.
3
When I was in Paris in late May, it was already getting into the 90s. London was in the mid-80s in early June. I had my suspicions that it wasn't going to be a good summer for Europe.
3
I feel for everyone, I really do. However, I would like to thank the Parisians for taking off their clothes.
1
Here in Portugal, where we are expat California, Americans, it is pretty warm as summer here normally is. We visited a lovely part of the North last week and experienced 47 degrees, about 115f at one point in our travels. Much hotter than normal.
A few reliable groups of scientists are now declaring we have only 18 months until the window closes to prevent unstoppable climate change, and I thought we still had 12 years to play with.
When I see Trump acting so foolishly and now the UK has Boris I despair about the likelihood we will act effectively in this brief time. Even Boris says he's for achieving carbon neutrality inside 30 years, but he'll be too busy carrying his people over the cliff of Brexit without a deal to concentrate on climate.
It becomes clear we will face the consequences of 2+ degrees warming before long and the present heat waves will look like the good old days of moderate climate.
We can see this combined with the tsunami waves of climate refugees we'll encounter, either fending them off our shores or joining their ranks and seeking survivable lands.
Too bad we didn't listen to the warnings from wiser people 40 years ago.
We can still act decisively now and prevent the worst consequences, are you listening now?
12
@Richard Bailey Right On!
1
I find it curious that the fotos show people out in the sun whose rays feel like a furnace. Never have been to Europe in summer for this reason. It is hot and lines can be long.
3
"While advanced countries can cope...with extreme heat and drought...other countries will not and might collapse." - future history
4
Yes there is climate change as far as the heat index, But the other thing that has gone way up is the whining index. I remember numerous heat waves and 100+ degree days in NYC over the years, but apparently the recent one last week doesn’t even rate in the top thirty if you wiki it.
1901 – The 1901 eastern United States heat wave killed 9,500 in the Eastern United States.
1972 – The heat waves of 1972 in New York and Northeastern United States were significant. Almost 900 people died; the heat conditions lasted almost 16 days, aggravated by very high humidity levels. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heat_waves#/search
1
Meanwhile, a tornado touches down on Cape Cod.
Cape Cod. A tornado. True, it's not the first time, but still.
6
Writing from Paris, France today and I can say it is hot here but fortunately it has been relatively dry (think Phoenix). Had lunch outside in the shade yesterday (in Burgundy) at about 100 degrees F, and it was, for me, more tolerable than 85 degrees and 65 - 70% humidity. Admittedly the frail will suffer at most elevated temperatures and I believe this heat wave is part of global warming. If we don’t double down on solving the problem we’re doomed!
5
All these photos of people sitting in the sun in 100+ degrees? Who walks on the sunny side of the street in a heat wave? Even tourists should be capable of following how everyone in the tropics survive the noonday sun: get into the shade! Surely all those lovely trees in Europe offer a better environment than lunch on a blistering sidewalk. Geez!
16
Amazing that in the midst of heat waves people flock to the beach to lay in the hot sand and sun supposedly to cool off. They seldom go in the water. As if the umbrellas help. Being cooler at the beach is in the minds of the beholders, a media led farce.
6
@George Young I generally agree with you here, except for one thing: breezes off the ocean are cooled by the water.
3
@George Young
Speaking as one who has lived her entire life at or near the beaches of the Pacific, you can count on the weather being 5-25 degrees cooler on the coast than just 10 miles inland. The closer to the water the better. It's not unusual for inland temps of San Diego county to hover around 110 while the beaches might reach 78.
2
We have a limited time to address this horror before it will be too late, and the entire terrestrial ecosystem will mutate irretrievably. Ignorant, narcissists like Trump and Boris will not save us from the consequences of deliberate folly. Fossil fuel corporations that deny their complicity are profiting from the calculated extirpation of your great-grandchildren.
14
But someone in charge of the good old USA keeps saying that there is no climate change .
16
The Globe is suffering the catastrophic consequences of heat trapping gasses from excess fossil fuel production. Yet we have an administration who’s sole economic policy is to promote the burning and production of all types of fossil fuel in every stage of our economy.
We are like frogs in boiling water. We will not know we are cooked until it’s too late to climb out of the boiling pot!
Vote to save our country and the world!
29
Europeans don't "air condition" like we do. In a heat wave, it's bad. We once planned a July trip to Sweden and Denmark, thinking we'd not suffer any intense heat. WRONG.
17
You're right. I am currently sweltering in 39 degree Celcius heat in London, with sweat rolling down me non -stop, though I am inside my friend's flat and not outside in the oven-like heat. Like just about everybody else here she has no air conditioning. Here's the thing: if everyone here did have air conditioning, this extra energy use would drive the current climate change even more into the extreme. Air conditioning isn't the answer to our planetary climate emergency. In fact it is one of the causes, ironically.
10
We really need to decarbonate our economy and societies. And replant many many trees to store Co2.
While advanced countries can cope to some extent with extreme heat and drought, many other countries will not and might collapse..
If we don't really act, present and recent "immigration crisis" will be a fondly remembered as the "good old time", and no wall will be high enough... (Yes, speaking to you, science deniers, Trump supporters and other populists fan...)
24
Having lived near Tampa, on Florida's West Coast for the last four years, I can attest to the rigors of heat excesses. I commiserate with Europeans in their suffering. In the past, I have been overwhelmed by such heat. I am retired so I don't have to work outdoors or travel about on +100 degree days but being elderly made me weaker when I was outside during the daytime hours. The key is to hydrate. Drink water all day long whether one is indoors or out. Carbonated beverages and alcoholic drinks are no substitute for plain water.
35