Wave goodbye to temperate summers: heatwaves increase in intensity and impact

by Traci Cox

            In the summer of 2003, almost 5,000 people perished in Paris within a single month.  The cause of death?  A mere 3-5 degree Celsius increase in regional temperature throughout mainland Europe, resulting in median temperatures of 35-40 degrees Celsius for the summer months.  This is more than an uncomfortable summer temperature; this is a recipe for ecological disaster.  An atmospheric circulation pattern like this one will only be intensified, and according to the IPCC’s climate simulation models and observations, greenhouse gases and increased annual temperatures in both hemispheres will not turn out to be a day at the beach.  Instead, these heatwaves are only going to get more powerful, more frequent, and more destructive in future years. 

            There’s a lot more to a heatwave than just heat.  One of the major issues surrounding what seems like a minute increase in temperature is that the public does not take it seriously.  For Parisians and many other European cities, people are used to living without air conditioning, depending entirely on the summer breeze to cool them at night.  Yet during the month of August in 2003, people (mostly elderly, homeless and children) were forced to endure night after night of no relief from extreme summer temperatures.

            Humans aren’t the only creatures affected by this seemingly slight raise in temperature.  Even plants are uncomfortable in this intense heat.  Rainfall was sparse, causing a severe decrease in ecosystem respiration.  Extreme climate changes such as in 2003 cause long-term damage to plants and crops.  And with a 30% decrease in net primary productivity throughout Europe, less crops and biodiversity means higher prices for food.  This intense heat is making waves not only for the human population but for the economy as well.

            The less water and nutrients plants receive, the more likely they are to die.  If they are able to bear the intense solar radiation and stifling temperatures, most plants’ carbon balances are disrupted.  That means that with no rainfall and a lot of carbon dioxide in the air, plants struggle to photosynthesize and emit less oxygen than normal.  That’s one of the reasons so many people in Paris had difficulty breathing and suffered.  Plants on land (for example, the tulip fields in the Netherlands) and underwater, especially in the Mediterranean, are both impacted hugely.  In the circle of life (and in climate feedback loops, too), a little heat goes a long way.

            And what can humans do, not only in mainland Europe and the United States (who felt the impacts of the 2003 heatwave in cities like New York and Chicago), to prevent—or at least prepare for—another deathly dramatic change in summer temperatures?  The solution involves much more than scientific observation and climate models. 

            Indeed, politics, healthcare systems, public policy and economics all play a significant role in heatwave crises.  Doctors obviously need to know how to effectively treat and rehydrate victims of heatstroke, but hospitals and healthcare professionals also have a responsibility to stock up on water, fluids, and design temperate, cool areas for such disasters in advance.  News stations, newspapers and other media outlets must also issue effective and timely warnings about areas where people can gather to cool down. 

            In Paris, 82% of the untimely summer deaths in 2003 involved people over 75 years of age.  This goes to show not only who is mostly affected by intense increases in temperature but also where.  Many of the elderly live alone or in retirement homes and may not have the mobility or means to find a cool place to be treated for heat-related illnesses.  Instead of geriatrics filling up emergency rooms and ending up in morgues, healthcare personnel should be flocking to retirement homes and targeting those who need help the most.  This is where urban planning and community ties are most important.

            On the other hand, citizens also need to do their part.  We cannot ignore or dismiss warnings from weather forecasters or public messages warning of intense climate changes.  It is imperative to take initiative ourselves and stock up on water and understand how to prevent and treat heatstroke.  We cannot simply rely on hospitals and weathermen to save us from the heat.

            The need for response plans, warning systems, parliamentary and governmental laws and grassroots initiatives are all lessons the global community has take from this environmental catastrophe.  If the June-August heatwave of 2003 teaches us anything practical about climate science, it is that no matter how unpredictable or unthreatening the weather seems, follow the Boy Scout motto and always be prepared—especially for the worst.

Bibliography

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Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  “Heatwave of 2003.”  Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation, and vulnerability.  12.6.1 (2007): http://www.ipcc-wg2.org/

Grynszpan, Delphine.  “Lessons from the French heatwave.”  The Lancet 362.9391 (2003): 1169.  General OneFile.  James Madison University.  11 Nov. 2007 <http://galegroup.com>

Meehl, Gerald A. and Claudia Tebaldi.  “More Intense, More Frequent and Longer      Lasting Heat Waves in the 21^st Century.”  Science 305.5686 (2004): 994-7.   General OneFile.  James Madison University.  11 Nov. 2007             <http://galegroup.com>

Schar, Christoph and Gerd Jendritzky.  “Climate Change: Hot news from summer 2003.”          Nature 432 (2004): 559-560.  General OneFile.  James Madison University.  11             Nov. 2007 <http://galegroup.com>