Essay by Eric Worrall
Could naming heatwaves help? Climate activists are aghast that people party and enjoy themselves during heatwaves, instead of appreciating their climate significance.
Vomit, drunks, crowds: Heat wave turns NYC’s luxury pools into a ‘frat party’
By Jeanette Settembre
July 26, 2022 8:00amThe city’s coolest pools are getting too hot to handle.
On a recent scorcher of a Saturday, the rooftop common area at One North Fourth, a luxury rental building in Williamsburg, was wall-to-wall party animals, bobbing and weaving to music so loud it threatened to puncture eardrums — or the Instagram-ready swan-shaped pool floatie bobbing about.
Kevin, 29, a resident in the building who works in real estate, had intended on having a serene pool day amid the recent heatwave, but he could barely find a chair, let alone dip a toe in the water. The deck was covered in sweaty bodies, some that didn’t seem to belong.
“It’s not just residents — it’s people who know there’s a pool and just walk up,” Kevin, who declined to give his last name, told The Post.
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Read more: https://nypost.com/2022/07/26/heat-wave-turns-nycs-luxury-pools-into-a-frat-party/
Perhaps Kevin should have voted yes, during the last residents association meeting on whether to hire a doorman.
The push to name heatwaves;
Heatwaves are a ‘silent killer’, and climate change is making them more common. Could naming them help?
Heatwaves can be lethal, but are often underestimated.
Published 29 July 2022 at 5:59am
By Isabelle LaneFrom Cyclone Tracy to Hurricane Katrina, the world has long been familiar with naming storms, but what about heatwaves?
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In June, Seville announced a new heatwave ranking system that would see heatwaves given names and severity levels, similar to the way hurricanes are ranked.
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University of Melbourne climate science lecturer Andrew King said naming heatwaves could help raise awareness of their impacts, as climate change makes them more frequent and intense.
“For a very long time we’ve been naming tropical cyclones, and that’s maybe partly because they’re distinct weather systems … you can see them very clearly on weather maps and satellite images,” he said.
“Heatwaves are a bit more abstract in the sense they’re harder to see, but I think naming heatwaves really will help raise awareness of upcoming severe heat when it’s forecast.”
Heatwaves are a “silent killer”, Dr King said.
“We see increased hospital admissions and increased heat-related illnesses that result in fatalities … so I think putting focus on heatwaves and their impact is definitely a very good idea.”
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Read more: https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/heatwaves-are-a-silent-killer-and-climate-change-is-making-them-more-common-could-naming-them-help/f1n5qt2wr
There might be fewer hospital admissions if vulnerable people in Victoria could afford to switch on their air conditioners. But the state of Victoria where University of Melbourne lecturer Andrew King lives wrote a ban on fracking into the state constitution. Now, big surprise, Victoria is running short of gas to run their generators. Victoria still gets a lot of electricity from coal, which has mitigated the gas pain, but they’re planning to shut their coal plants down.
Obviously if your health is reasonably robust, you can simply enjoy the heatwave by visiting the nearest body of water and having a frolic. Joining the party seems much more fun than wasting time and effort thinking up names for heatwaves.
Some advice from subtropical Queensland, where we call our heatwave “Summer”, drink a glass of water between the cocktails, your head will thank you the next morning. And practice a little sun safety of course.
via Watts Up With That?
July 29, 2022
