By Bonnie White, member of Creston Climate Action Society
After last year’s heat dome, we all got a very real taste of what climate change means for our everyday lives in the summer.
While not quite as hot this year in B.C., extreme heat will continue to be a factor that will be more common for many around the globe. The UK, parts of the United States, and France are suffering this year. And the spin-off effects of this heat are many: water shortages and drought, more wildfires and smoke, crop impacts and failures, and death for animals and humans.
In fact, Creston has specifically been named in a National Environmental Study by the University of Waterloo in Ontario as a smaller community in B.C. that will be vulnerable to higher temperatures and longer heatwaves as the years go by. It’s only going to get worse. Not only do we need to do everything we can to keep the planet from warming more than another 1.5 degrees, we need to adapt and look at ways we can deal with these extreme and changing conditions!
Everyone should be prepared well in advance and have a emergency plan in place before the extreme heat of summer arrives. Please do what you can to ready your family and others in your neighbourhood in case of extreme temperatures. Look out especially for those who are vulnerable due to age, health conditions, or those living in housing that is not designed or well built enough to withstand extreme heat. Those with limited mobility or means to travel need extra help too.
Air conditioning is great, but not everyone has access to this. If you do have it, please use it thoughtfully and minimize cooling your house to an excessively lower temperature. It does help us to get used to the heat a bit if we are able to, and not be exposed to extreme temperature fluctuations going inside to outside and back again.
And… what if the power goes out? Or it is too smoky to open the windows at night? We need to have other ways to keep ourselves cool that don’t always rely on electricity! Housing today should be built or renovated to consider ways to keep us cooler without air conditioning. Site aspect and location, the use of trees and other vegetation, and the use of quality building materials can make a big difference. Using shutters or covers on the outside of your windows really helps as windows absorb heat and radiate it back into the building, even with inside blinds or curtains.
Here are some more tips that are easy to implement:
• Stay well hydrated by drinking smaller amounts of water throughout the day, rather than a bunch all at once
• Open your windows at night, and use fans to move air around and cool you off
• Sleep under a damp sheet or wet your clothes
• Have a cool shower or soak in a cool tub of water
• Put a tray of ice cubes in front of the fan for more cooling air
• Don’t use your stove or oven to cook when it is very hot outside
• Do outside chores in the morning before the hottest time of the day
• Exercise inside or early in the morning
• Know the effects of heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke so we can recognize the symptoms in ourselves and others
• Know where the cooling stations and air conditioned public places are around town
• Spend time in the basement, if your main floor is too hot
• Have an emergency kit ready with essentials like food, water, medication, pet care items and other essentials
• Educate yourself and others about ways to limit your carbon footprint and overall emissions
Prevention and early preparedness is the key to dealing with these types of situations. Get ready before extremes, so you are confident and calm about what to do in an emergency situation!
Like Creston Climate Action on Facebook or email us at CrestonClimateActionSociety@gmail.com for suggestions on what you can do to limit your effect on the planet, reduce your emissions and carbon footprint, and help minimize future heat extremes. Our future depends on it!
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