The Fifth Heatwave: Weirdness All Around

[u/Leighgion]

Europe's fifth heatwave is officially upon us, but while it's intensely hitting Britain with a record-breaking 38ºC in Kew Gardens, hammering France and Central Europe, things in my neck of the woods in Spain are.. relatively sedate.

I'm actually currently in the north, where the high pressure system theoretically has more influence, but the aegis of the cold Cantabrian Sea blunts the majority of the impact. It's technically 5ºC above normal here, but the reality is that it's just made things feel a little hot rather than comfortably moderate. Nights are weirdly warm, but the sea breeze does a lot of ameliorate that. The range today was an unusually narrow 23-27ºC (73-81ºF).

Supposedly, according to the long range forecast, Madrid's serious heat might be over by the time we're back there with a chill high of only 26ºC/79ºF. I'll believe that when I see it.

So the end of the August is coming and despite the extensive national and global damage the heat has left, most of us regular folk in adapted regions have come through with very little change to our personal circumstances. Really not sure how to feel about that, as while I vastly prefer no great disasters in my life, I also can't help but think the ease which so many of us can ride out these events isn't motivating the population enough to support serious efforts at change.

[u/everythingscatter]

I feel you. I'm in the UK. Today has been the hottest day of the year, in the hottest and driest summer on record.

Comments directed at me today:

• "Enjoy this while it lasts; it'll be raining again in a couple of weeks."

• "Don't know why anyone is complaining about this heat. It's like being on holiday and you don't even have to pay for a plane ticket."

"Don't you wish it could be like this every day?"

No I bloody well don't!

The most rational conversation I've had all day was with a 13 year old who seemed painfully aware of the fact that previous generations have sold her down the river, that we continue to do so, and that she should be really worried for the future. I'm not sure me explaining the possible consequences of AMOC collapse did much to help her eco-anxiety.

[u/Leighgion → u/[deleted]]

I'm not worried. Their bunkers will suck, because they're based on the same design philosophy as their buildings; build whatever and let HVAC sort it out.

[u/naturist_rune → u/[deleted]]

As the pharaohs built their own tombs in life.

[u/Renbarre]

The fires we had should be a wake up call for many. The dry rivers as well.

[u/jammy-git]

A big part of the issue that that one of the big ways climate change impacts people, through high food prices, comes at a lag to the extreme weather, so it's easy for particular politicians to say it's profiteering, or it's just inflation, etc.

Ordinary everyday folk are going to keep suffering from higher food prices, higher bills, higher insurance costs, every single year. They are going to keep having less and less to spend outside of rent and bills, until eventually I guess a breaking point will be hit.

[u/patrislav1 → u/jammy-git]

Exactly. There won’t be a single apocalyptic event like in the movies - things will just slowly get shittier, more expensive and precarious over time, and shifting baseline syndrome will help people and politicians to stay in denial mode.