Summer 2023 Is Our First Global Taste Of Life At 1.5C Of Warming; Are We Having Fun Yet?

[hatrack]

The world has just gotten its first real taste of a planet that is 1.5 degrees Celsius — or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit — hotter than preindustrial times. According to data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, July of this year was the most scorching July on record, clocking in at somewhere between 1.5 and 1.6 Celsius hotter than the average before the widespread use of fossil fuels.

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It hasn’t been pleasant. In Phoenix, temperatures were above 110 degrees Fahrenheit for 31 days straight — sometimes reaching 118 or 119 degrees. The local medical examiner’s office was forced to bring in coolers to handle excess bodies, for the first time since the height of the coronavirus pandemic. In Europe, Rome recorded a record temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit, while in Beijing residents ordered full-face masks called “facekinis” to protect themselves from the sun. In Iran’s Persian Gulf, the heat index reached 152 degrees — near the limit of human survival.

At some level, this is not a surprise. Scientists say July’s scorching temperatures are pretty much in line with expectations for a climate-changed world. “This is in the range of our models,” said Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University. Some workings of the climate system currently — the record-low Antarctic sea ice, for example — are true anomalies that scientists can’t yet currently explain. But most are just what we would expect from a world that has continued to burn fossil fuels. While some developed countries have cut back on the use of coal, oil, and gas, global emissions have only plateaued. And unless global emissions reach zero, the planet will continue to warm.

One of the scariest things about the emerging warmer world may be how quickly people mentally adapt to it. Almost 10 years ago, 2014 clocked in as the warmest year on record — now, looking back, 2014 seems positively cool. Researchers have found that humans quickly stop remarking on hot temperatures; after between two to eight years, what was once a record high starts to feel like the new normal. But while some aspects of warming temperatures may come to feel commonplace, others will not. In parts of the Middle East and Africa, temperatures are reaching the limits of what human bodies can take. At the same time, electric grids, roads, bridges, and other infrastructure are under pressure as temperatures rise above what they were built and planned for. “What we’re seeing is that our world is very sensitively designed for a small range of temperatures,” Dessler said. “When the temperatures get out of that range, the whole system implodes.”

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2023/08/03/july-blows-away-temperature-records-testing-key-climate-threshold/

[cilla4progress]

1. Car thermometer said 108 degrees

when I got in it this afternoon. Eastern Washington state.

[MyMission]

2. Heat can affect our brains and moods,

In addition to how heat can impact our physical health. I just read this interesting article on NPR.

While it does not mention that as things heat up we will see many changes in food production and availability, shifting human and animal populations, loss of ecosystems and lives, disputes over water and land, and so much more, it does offer a strong reminder to stay hydrated!

Yes, heat can affect your brain and mood. Here's why
July 31, 20235:01 AM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

...Other studies have found an effect from heat on office workers and on standardized test score performance, says Caleb Dresser, an emergency medicine physician who also serves as the director of health care solutions at the Harvard Chan Center for Climate, Health and Global Environment.

One of these studies showed that productivity in the workplace is highest when the air temperature is about 72 degrees, and productivity starts to drop off in the mid-70s. Another shows that for high school students, taking a standardized test on a hot day is linked to poorer performance.

Dresser says the evidence suggests that heat can influence us in sometimes-indiscernible ways. "All of these [studies] seem to point to a reduced ability to think clearly and quickly and efficiently when the body is too hot," he says.

There's also research to suggest that heat can make you moodier or irritated, in part perhaps by raising cortisol levels and inducing a stress response.

Of course, you can acclimate to heat after several days of exposure, and our bodies have several built-in coping mechanisms that help us cool down. For instance, you'll begin to sweat sooner and blood flow to the skin increases, which can carry heat away from the body's core.

But given the extreme heat waves that are becoming more common, there's increasing interest in better understanding the mechanisms by which heat may exacerbate or set off mood and anxiety-related problems. Dresser points to a study published in JAMA Psychiatry in 2022 that found hospital ER visits for mental health conditions rise during extremely hot days....

A better understanding of all of these factors could help inform strategies to prevent or manage the challenges. "As we learn to live in a warming world where the summers are getting hotter, we need to be extra alert to recognize when conditions are dangerous and take steps to stay safe," Dresser says.

One of the key strategies is to stay well-hydrated. This may sound obvious, but dehydration is common in the summer, and many people underestimate how much fluid they need to replace when they're sweating a lot or spending time outdoors...(more)

https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/07/31/1190627995/heat-wave-brain-mood-anxiety#:~:text=Extreme%20heat%20can%20slow%20cognition%20and%20increase%20anxiety%2C%20research%20finds.,-AleksandarGeorgiev/Getty%20Images&text=If%20you%27re%20feeling%20a,rooms%20during%20a%20heat%20wave.

[orthoclad]

4. I've experienced heavy heat stress

You lose judgement. I called it getting stupid. The loss of judgement contributes to the problem: you don't take steps to stop it. That's why scheduled breaks are so important, like the ones Abbott denied to workers.

[orthoclad]

3. We're good at normalizing things