What do heatwaves mean and how do they affect us?

Got this from a friend? Click here and join up . No Images? [Click here]( Selected significant climate anomalies and events - July 2019 (Image from [NOAA]() Dear {NAME}, July 2019 was officially the “the hottest month on record, since record-keeping began 140 years ago”, said the [World Meteorological Organisation](, with “record heat moving towards Arctic”. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said the average global temperature was 0.95 degrees Celsius hotter than the 20th-century average, following the [hottest June]( ever recorded. If you thought this was only a northern hemisphere problem, think again. Parts of Australia and Africa suffered record temperatures, and that included… South Africa. In today’s newsletter, we tackle a scorching topic: heatwaves. What they are, how they affect us and why we should take them seriously. Don’t rain-check, it’s a hot read. “What grows best in the heat: fantasy; unreason; lust.” ― Salman Rushdie, Midnight’s Children Record warm July temperatures were present across parts of North America, southern Asia, southern Africa, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Atlantic Ocean, as well as across the western and northern parts of the Pacific Ocean. (Image from NOAA) Sea, sweat and sun Hot summer, a problem? Unquestionably. Because it’s not just hot, it’s a LOT hotter. A map the NOAA released in July this year, shows areas in the world that have experienced record temperatures during July. And? Well, it’s like a scan of a [burning planet]( – dark shades of pink (warmer and much warmer than average) and red (record warmest) are covering almost the entire globe. When was the last record? July 2016, when [El Niño]( – "a complex weather pattern resulting from variations in ocean temperatures in the Equatorial Pacific" – brought warmer than average temperatures in North America. Okay, but 0.95ºC above the 20th century global average isn’t massive… Oh yes, it is. The heatwave moved all the way to the Arctic, melting the ice sheet of Greenland at a rate never seen before (we are not quoting Trump here). Like what? Scientists have said that approximately 217 billion tons of ice (197 billion metric tons of water) melted into the Atlantic Ocean in July. And wildfires raged across the forests of Alaska and Siberia. Wildfires. In Siberia. And Alaska. Get it? Hectic. Yep. According to the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), “The last time the Earth experienced a comparable concentration of CO2 (carbon dioxide in the atmosphere) was three to five million years ago when the temperature was 2-3°C warmer and the sea level was 10-20 metres higher than now.” *Mild panic attack*? Adding to your anxiety, Ready, a US national public service campaign, states that “extreme heat often results in the highest number of annual deaths among all weather-related hazards”. People try to stay cool in the fountain in Washington Square Park during the start of heat wave across the U.S. on July 19, 2019 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Is it a thing, heatwaves? Someone skipped the first part of this newsletter, didn’t they? Heatwaves are not a thing. They are a threat, a crisis, a peril, a disaster. A heatwave is usually a period of high temperatures, combined with high humidity, that last over two or more days. The SA Department of Environmental Affairs released in May 2019 a draft report dubbed [Draft national climate change adaptation strategy](, pointing out, “There is evidence that extreme weather events in South Africa are increasing, with heat wave conditions found to be more likely, dry spell durations lengthening slightly and rainfall intensity increasing.” Eduardo Velev opens a fire hydrant during a heatwave on July 1, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jessica Kourkounis/Getty Images) How will it affect me? You, and more so “the elderly, infants and children, pregnant women, outdoor and manual workers, athletes, and the poor, displaced and homeless,” as noted by the World Health Organisation. When our body temperature rises above 40ºC, there is a risk that organs start to fail; toxins can then leak in the body causing heatstroke; the ability to sweat – and therefore cool our body down – is compromised. The WHO explains that, “Rapid rises in heat gain due to exposure to hotter than average conditions compromise the body’s ability to regulate temperature and can result in a cascade of illnesses, including heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, and hyperthermia”, adding that, “deaths and hospitalisations from heat can occur extremely rapidly (same day), or have a lagged effect (several days later)”. What to do? When there’s a heatwave, the [WHO recommends]( to: "Keep your living space cool. The room temperature should be kept below 32°C during the day and 24°C during the night. Use the night air to cool down your home. Open all windows and shutters during the night and the early morning, when the outside temperature is lower (if safe to do so)." Hang shades, draperies, wet towels on windows that receive morning or afternoon sun. "If your residence is air-conditioned, close the doors and windows and conserve electricity not needed to keep you cool, to ensure that power remains available and reduce the chance of a community-wide outage. Electric fans may provide relief, but when the temperature is above 35°C they may not prevent heat-related illness. It is important to drink fluids". Check on family members and neighbours, don’t forget your pets (leaving them in your car – never a good idea), and drink plenty of water. A handout photo made available by NASA Earth Observatory of a satellite image showing wildfire smoke over Russia, 24 July 2019 (issued 01 August 2019). Amid unprecedented wildfires, Russia has declared a state of emergency in five regions in Siberia, media reported. (Photo, EPA-EFE/NASA EARTH OBSERVATORY) (Scary) Numbers 70,000 The estimated death toll during the 2003 European heat wave, which was, back then, the hottest summer on record in Europe since at least 1540. 2.6 million hectares The size of the Siberian wildfires in July. Between 5 and 33 centimetres The amount that just Greenland's melting ice will add to rising global sea levels by the year 2100. Mighty words “It is fantastic news that the world has agreed to cut pollution and help people save money, but I am sure that those global leaders were driven by a primitive fear that the present ambient warm weather is somehow caused by humanity; and that fear – as far as I understand the science – is equally without foundation. There may be all kinds of reasons why I was sweating at ping-pong [in December] – but they don’t include global warming.” – UK Prime Minister (yeah, really), Boris Johnson, in December 2015. “Together with all the nations of the world, we are confronted by the most devastating changes in global climate in human history.” – President Cyril Ramaphosa, 20 June 2019. “Preventing irreversible climate disruption is the race of our lives and for our lives” – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Sponsored Content [After some controversy, the return to the beloved chair]( In the past few years, a series of articles, study papers and talks seemingly equated sitting with smoking. The source of the debate? Our increasingly sedentary habits, which include spending at times more than nine hours a day, 64 hours a week with our derrières comfortably seated on a chair. Also on [Maverick Life]( FASHION: SA fashion designer Thebe Magugu wins LVMH Prize Launched in November 2013, the LVMH Prize was created by the French luxury conglomerate to celebrate young fashion designers from around the world and help them propel their career. This year, the prize was awarded to a young South African designer from Johannesburg. [Read more here.]( BEAUTY: Hot tips – How to protect your skin against the sun’s harmful effects Sun damage is one of the biggest contributors to premature ageing. Here’s how to spot the first signs of sun damage and how to protect your skin against the sun’s harmful effects. [Read Nicole Williamson's story here.]( ART: Percy Maimela – the artist who draws portraits in salt Percy Maimela worked for years as a merchandiser, until one day he saw a dropped bag of salt on the floor, its contents dispersed on the ground. Where others would have seen a mess, he saw a blank canvas. To read the story and watch the video, [click here](. MUSIC: Violin virtuoso returns to South Africa Tim Kliphuis will be embarking on his latest tour of South Africa this month. [Bernard Kotze]( caught up with him to discuss his work as a performer, composer and educator. OP-ED: Success story – The art of growth-hacking a bestseller How do you get your product to grow ridiculously big, ridiculously fast? You get a growth hacker to market it, using unconventional — but highly effective — stratagems. Read [Ryan Holiday's op-ed here](. LIFE: Last week in pictures – 14 September 2019 The final of the 11th season Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series took place in Bilboa, Spain. The series, which started in April in the Philippines, was the first international cliff diving series allowing women to compete. In the US, the 18th anniversary of 9/11 was commemorated throughout the country, while in London, Fashion Week kicks off with British designer Mark Fast, a knitwear designer. [Enjoy our gallery of images here.]( Copyright © 2019 Daily Maverick, All rights reserved. You are receiving this mail because you are awesome and on the Maverick Life & Books subscriber list. Getting too many emails from us? Click "Preferences" below to manage your newsletter list. "Unsubscribe" removes from all newsletters. [Preferences]( | [Unsubscribe](