Climate Change

[ysabetwordsmith]

Heat index warnings can save lives on dangerously hot days... if people understand what they mean

Humidity doesn’t just make you feel sticky and uncomfortable – it also creates extra dangerous conditions on hot days. Together, too much heat and humidity can make you sick. And in severe cases, it can cause your body to shut down.

Meteorologists talk about the risk of heat and humidity using the heat index, but it can be confusing.
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Climate change is exacerbating heat risks by making extreme heat more common, intense and long-lasting. This means clear communication is necessary to help people understand their risk and how they can protect themselves.


Climate change is making heat waves hotter and deadlier. Scientists tend to talk about this in fancy terms. So let's simplify. If you need to talk about the heat, state the number then move directly into actions. You might also mention that vulnerable people such as children and seniors should take extra precautions.

80-90F: Caution -- If working or playing in hot weather, take frequent breaks to cool down and drink plenty of water. Prefer shady to sunny locations.

90-100F: Extreme Caution -- Prefer air conditioned spaces. Minimize amount of time outside. Avoid heavy exertion and direct sunlight. If you are sweating heavily, choose a drink with electrolytes such as a sport drink or agua fresca.

Over 100F: Danger -- Stay in air conditioned spaces as much as possible. Do not go out in the heat unless absolutely necessary. If you must, tell someone where you are going and when you'll be back. Avoid direct sunlight. Drink plenty of fluids with electrolytes.


And some general tips for today's society:

* It's not okay to murder workers by making them work in high temperatures without shade, water, or cooling stations.

* You can save a life by buying someone a fan or air conditioner.

* Lobby for cooling centers in your community.

* Learn to make foods and beverages from hot countries, as many of these are designed for cooling. Among my favorites are agua fresca and cucumber-tomato salad.

Comments

[siliconshaman]

Climate change means that we will get more lethal heat conditions, for longer and more often. There will soon be parts of the Earth that are uninhabitable by humans (without serious life support) because of this. And the Southern and Mid West US are right in the zone worst affected by this.

And yeah, the Republicans are trying to kill people this way.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Climate change means that we will get more lethal heat conditions, for longer and more often. <<

Sadly so.

>> There will soon be parts of the Earth that are uninhabitable by humans (without serious life support) because of this. <<

Long before a place becomes completely uninhabitable, it will become unsafe and unsustainable to live in without reliable life support. We're already seeing that.

>> And the Southern and Mid West US are right in the zone worst affected by this.<<

The farthest along are parts of India and southeast Asia, along with the Middle East. Other hot deserts, including the Saharan belt in Africa and the North American southwest, are likely to follow. Honestly, I'd love to see the Amazon become too steamy for humans to tolerate.

>> And yeah, the Republicans are trying to kill people this way.<<

They're among the strongest opponents of worker safety requirements like shade, water, and cooling areas -- or even rest breaks. Someone ought to tell the fuckwits that you can't milk a dead cow.

Re: Thoughts

[siliconshaman]

"Hey gringo... no workers, no tacos!"

I saw that on a protest sign about immigration not so long ago, and yup, you'd think TPTB in the States would have figured that out... but Noooo... Here they are again, trying to kill off the people they depend upon. (like road crews, power line workers) Then they wonder why nothing is getting fixed...

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Over the decades, there have been multiple worker strikes, and raids on immigrants that stripped workers from an area. In some cases, crops rotted in the fields because nobody was available to harvest them. White Americans either wouldn't do those jobs, or weren't able to do them as well as Mexicans.

Every time it happens, people squeal for a few weeks and then forget all about it. >_< Idiots.

[a_natural_beauty]

It's a scary time these days for our climate. I do worry about the future and what is to come for us all over the world. It's good you write these entries and give us something to think about!

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> It's a scary time these days for our climate. I do worry about the future and what is to come for us all over the world.<<

Sooth. You want to worry, then worry about human civilization. The biosphere has survived rampant vulcanism, that time it rained for 2 million years, and getting smacked by an asteroid. It'll survive humans too. It might be beaten to hell by the time the invasive species gets smacked down or wiped out, but look at the track record. After every mass extinction, life has bounced back with something even better.

>> It's good you write these entries and give us something to think about!<<

I'm happy I could help.

I try to focus on concrete things that people can do. Local projects you might watch for and support. Things you could do in your home or yard. Save the world, plant a tree! Try some drought-resistant garden crops like sunchokes or tepary beans. Everything is wilting in the heat and my sunchokes are 10-12' tall and lush green. Buy a fan or air conditioner on sale so you'll have a spare for a friend in need.

It's not hard to make a difference. It doesn't take superpowers. It just takes super compassion.

Re: Thoughts

[acelightning73]

The northernmost extension of Tornado Alley has moved close to Buffalo, NY.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

If a tornado hits a city that big, it's going to be a major disaster.

Re: Thoughts

[acelightning73]

If the storms make a hard right turn eastward, they could hit NYC.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

If they hit the dockyard, the whole metroplex is fucked. All the food shipments route through one location. :/

Re: Thoughts

[acelightning73]

If they hit the Bronx Terminal Market area, yeah. That's where the cargo ships dock. And there's a large rail yard area, which is how a lot of the ordinary foods come to market = meat on the hoof, grain, vegetables and fruits, and other commonplace supplies. (Which is one of the major reasons they're rebuilding the century-old railroad tunnel (which was badly damaged during Sandy) under the Hudson river (And trucks, of course.) And there are already measures being put into place to make the harbor more able to withstand storms.

I pity anybody who has bought a home in one of the mega-tall skyscrapers. One of those buildings sways so much in the wind that people on the upper floors can't flush their toilets on windy days. And some piece of windborne debris is bound to get carried up to the 73rd floor to smash in the penthouse window.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>>And there are already measures being put into place to make the harbor more able to withstand storms.<<

That's a good idea, if they can pull it off.

>>And some piece of windborne debris is bound to get carried up to the 73rd floor to smash in the penthouse window.<<

*snort* Cry me a river, bitches. I'm more concerned about the debris raining down on the street.

Re: Thoughts

[a_natural_beauty]

Wise words indeed! I recently started walking with some local ladies. To stay in shape, keep each other company and to be safe while walking together.

It is interesting to see how our biosphere has survived time and time again. Here's the a better future ~

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Wise words indeed! I recently started walking with some local ladies. To stay in shape, keep each other company and to be safe while walking together. <<

That's a good practice with many benefits.

>> It is interesting to see how our biosphere has survived time and time again. Here's the a better future ~ <<

I enjoy looking at the past and how it influences the present. The biosphere is robust, resilient, and often surprising. You wouldn't expect the mammalian megafauna to evolve from something about like a rat, but it happened.

[siliconshaman]

https://press.un.org/en/2016/sgsm17610.doc.htm

The future does not look good.

[enchanted_jae]

We've been in the "extreme caution" zone for two days now. Blah.

Alas!

[ysabetwordsmith]

That sucks.

Heat index here was 100F for much of the day. Even in the evening when I did most of the watering, it was still hot. :P

[arlie]

> Learn to make foods and beverages from hot countries, as many of these are designed for cooling. Among my favorites are agua fresca and cucumber-tomato salad. <

The Indian equivalent is Nimbu Pani.

I recommend it.

p.s. The "low cal sugar" in the recipe linked is not authentic. (What is "low cal sugar" anyway? Some highly processed non-food, aka artificial sweetener?)

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

India also has multiple versions of lassi, a yogurt drink, one of which has salt added.

A tiny pinch of salt will make most fruit drinks more refreshing. It shouldn't be enough to taste. Some people love salt on fruit, though.

Re: Yes ...

[see_also_friend]

I had salted cucumbers once - tasty! I think that was either Kurdish or Syrian cuisine.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I like diced cucumbers and tomatoes with cilantro or parsley. I've had cucumbers dusted with some Indian spice blend that made them magically delicious. We couldn't stop eating them. We cleaned the whole salad plate, which was just a few cut up vegetables dusted with masala of some sort, even though we knew the Indian meal was coming shortly.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning73]

A pinch of salt in a pitcher of lemonade improves it greatly. Also a drop of vanilla extract.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I hadn't thought of vanilla. I'm a huge fan of rosewater lemonade though.

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning73]

Vanilla emphasizes sweet flavors, and it keeps the lemonade from tasting too sour or too bitter. A drop or two in anything vaguely sweet improves the taste.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Useful to know!

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning73]

That's why I'm sharing it. I'm "insatiably curious" by nature, and whenever I discover something useful about the universe, I want to make sure everybody knows the trick.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, me too. Reality is fascinating. Many people like my recipes because I explain why to do things a certain way -- like when making ice cream, use thawed fruit instead of fresh. The ice crystals rupture the cells, releasing more juice and tenderizing the fruit. Using fresh fruit, it just freezes into little rocks. :P

Re: Yes ...

[acelightning73]

A lot of the recipes I've seen that call for homemade jam or fruit compote call for frozen berries - when you thaw them, the ice crystals break open the skin and let the juice run free.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Physics is your friend! When you know why things happen, you can use that information to get better results.