The trend that has been found is that heatwaves are more frequent, moving slower and lasting longer. There doesn’t seem to be a stop to this carrying on as the planet gets warmer.
Related Posts
Hello everyone!
Last week we talked about heat pumps and how we can dispel some negativity surrounding the hard switch from gas boilers to this more sustainable option. This week I want to talk about heatwaves! As we are coming into the warmer months, with more sun, it is relevant to look at heat wave trends.
What is a heatwave?
First, let’s define a heatwave for our purposes here. A heatwave is a prolonged period of abnormally hot weather. In the UK, there is a heatwave threshold. This is three consecutive days with maximum temperatures meeting or exceeding a heatwave temperature threshold, in a particular area.
The trend that has been found is that heatwaves are more frequent, moving slower and lasting longer. And there doesn’t seem to be a stop to this carrying on as the planet gets warmer. Although in the UK a heat wave is a nice thought as it could be the only warm weather we get for the year, they can cause serious damage to the planet and everything on it.
How heatwaves affect our cities
I was just in Barcelona on holiday, where they have much nicer weather than the UK! (I highly recommend going, it is a beautiful city). However, they are currently going through a tremendous drought. At the moment, they have 15% of the water capacity that they usually have. They have taken steps such as turning off a lot of the fountains, although they still look beautiful (apart from those with fish in, thankfully). They are asking residents and visitors to have shorter showers and be mindful of their water usage and bottled water is being used to avoid using tap water.
Heatwaves increase the strain on water, as in Barcelona. They also increase strain on energy and transportation, which can lead to power shortages and blackouts. With the planet warming, heatwaves are going to keep lasting longer, become more frequent, and travel further. This creates even more of a strain on water, energy, transportation, and health risks such as heat stroke.
On the brighter side: making the most of the sun with Solar Panels
Other than having more ice cream during a heatwave, there are other things to help. Using solar panels during a heatwave is very beneficial. You get the full throttle of the sun to charge them up, which can be used as backup energy or your mains energy. In addition, using less electricity reduces your overall consumption, which in turn helps the planet to cool down!
So, we can use heatwaves to our advantage, to hopefully reduce the amount and severity of them in the future. And hopefully, one day I will get to see those beautiful fountains in Barcelona with running water!
I hope everyone had a lovely week, and I will see you next week for another Amy’s Hot Topic.
Bye! #undertwok #2kWh
References:
New Scientist: Heatwaves now lasting much longer than they did in the 1980s, Michael Le Page – 29th March 2024.
World Health Organization – Heatwaves.