How to manage heat stress in a hotter world
It started out with a simple question: What are you doing to keep cool this summer? I was curious to see how one of my neighbors was handling New York’s uncharacteristic blast of hot weather. I observed her attire as we walked onto the elevator together: Big dark glasses, baseball cap worn low covering her face, white cotton shorts, matching sleeveless top and beige classic crocs sandals.
“I sit in front of my air conditioner and only go out in the early morning or late at night when it cools off,” she answered as if slightly annoyed by my personal question or perhaps rather at the unrelenting heat. I responded that I use a technique my mother acquired while living in New Orleans. “The natives in NOLA only walk in the shade,” Mom recommended.
New trend: men with umbrellas when the sun’s out
Back to my neighbor, to spice up the conversation a tad, I shared a recent discovery: New Yorkers carrying umbrellas to ward off the sun. “And, not just women!“ I exclaimed, then added, “The men I’ve seen usually carry black umbrellas which they must think makes it appear more masculine to do so.”
With the dog days of summer upon us, it’s hard not to be obsessed with news of the scorching hot weather not just at home but around the world. From country to country, we’ve read about how people are coping with oppressive heat waves. With this post, I wanted to share some insights on how others are keeping their cool as the world heats up.
Keeping the cows cool and unstressed
Take for example, a recent NYT’s article which explains how India is helping cows to stay calm and cool in an increasingly hotter world. India’s dairy industry is enormously important to its GNP. It turns out that stress on animals, due to extreme heat, reduces the amount of milk they produce. To combat extreme climate patterns—which sometimes reach as high as 120°F—and how it affects its various industries, Indian’s scientists are working overtime. As well they should considering the country has 300 million bovines, including buffalo and cows, to protect.
What are they doing? One thing is crossbreding one quarter of their cattle with European breeds which have higher yield but also are more resistant to rising temperatures. Large dairies with the resources have installed fans and water sprinklers in their barns to help mitigate summer’s prolonged heat. Additionally, they are also experimenting with piping soft flute music into their barns which reduces stress among the animals.
In the small villages, where families may have only two or three buffalos or cows, the luxury of the latest in technology is not available. Whereas years ago, a farmer would take his animals to a local river or a shared pond, now either the waters have evaporated or are so polluted that this is no longer an option. As heat and stress directly affect milk production, they must resort to keeping their animals in a covered courtyard and bathing them several times a day.
Europe endures hottest summer on record
Europe, like India, has been devastated with excessive temperatures this summer. Take for example France, a country which normally has temperate climatic conditions at this time of year. Over the past several months, however, they’ve confronted drought and monster fires in the Southwest along with dried up river beds and parched fields in other parts of the country.
Luckily, France has been proactive in handling its heatwave, particularly where its citizens are concerned. In response to the dramatic heatwave in 2003— when 14,000 elderly people died—France’s National Health Service developed a plan to advise people how to deal with extreme weather. It is a four-color coded system called “Plan Canicule.” The concept is simple ranging from green, yellow, orange, to red representing the most dangerous climatic conditions.
Local prefectures advise their citizens on simple protectives measures such as staying hydrated and restricting physical activities to more radical actions such as mobilizing ambulances and providing greater services for the aged and homeless. The local municipalities even maintain a list of elderly or vulnerable home-bound citizens who they personally call to make sure there are no issues. If there is no answer, emergency services are dispatched.
Planting trees to create green spaces
Additionally, last year Paris approved a plan to plant 170,000 new trees by 2026 to create pockets of urban forests. Their goal with this initiative is to as mitigate the effects of soaring temperatures as well as to soak up air-pollution. If you’ve ever visited Paris, you will have noticed the importance given to their gardens, parks and tree-line boulevards. In addition to adding to the city’s elegance, Paris’ green corridors are also practical methods for keeping Parisians cool in the summertime.
Learning how hot countries cope
What about the rest of the world, especially hot climate countries? What kind of old-world traditions do they use for heatwave relief? Mitak, a limousine driver from Pakistan who now lives in New Jersey, explained that “Back home we dip our cotton fabric in cool water before wrapping it around our heads to create turbans, a covering which also protects us from sun rays. We also like to drink a mixture of equal parts yoghurt and water before going to work in the morning.” Next, he added becoming quite chatty on the topic, “We also soak chia seeds in water at night, then drink the liquid the next day.” Mitak further elaborated explaining how in some parts of rural India and Pakistan, where the weather can be sweltering, poor people will put jute sacks soaked in water on their roofs to cool down their homes.
A simple, affordable cooling device: Hand fans
Fans are another simple, practical, and inexpensive solution when the temperature climbs. Believed to have been invented by the Chinese or Japanese, folding fans have been used for centuries around the world to cool people off. I picked up the habit of carrying a small fan in my purse in the summer, a trick learned when working in Spain with my wine clients. Every lovely Spanish senorita knows that a fan is an indispensable accessory from May to September, a tradition I was happy to “appropriate.”
A recent Times’ article featured African folding hand-fans, also called Ankara fans. Not only are they used throughout Africa, but they are also becoming popular locally in Harlem and certain parts of Brooklyn and Queen. As explained in the article “Ankara hand fans are representative of the kind of amalgamated Pan-Africanism that appeals to some Black people in the diaspora who yearn for connections to a romanticized version of Africa that doesn’t actually exist.”
That snide comment aside, the better fans are made by West African artisans using a colorful fabric with vibrant, tribal-like patterns. Ankara hand fans have sturdy wooden handles wrapped in leather and when unfolded create a circle of dazzling color. I have one gifted to me by a Ghanaian friend and frankly, it works even better than my small, delicate, refined Spanish fan.
Tips for keeping your cool
Here are a few more tried and true methods for staying cool in the heat:
· Stay hydrated. This is one of the easiest things to do. Drink plenty of water however, not fizzy or alcoholic beverages which dehydrate you! Also avoid coffee and even tea as caffeine dehydrates too.
· Avoid exercise in the middle of the day. If you need to train, do so in the early morning when temperatures are lower.
· Run cool water over your wrists to cool down quickly. You can also keep a small spray bottle of water handy to spritz your face throughout the day.
· Put your pillowcases in a plastic bag in the refrigerator during the day. Then, to cool down at night, put them back on your pillows before hopping into bed.
· Keep your curtains and blinds closed during the day. About 40 percent of unwanted heat comes through windows.
· Use your oven, dishwasher, or washing machine in the morning to avoid heating up the room.
· Wear natural fabrics such as cotton and linen as they are light and soak up sweat. Avoid nylon, acrylic and polyester as they are less breathable.
· Make shade your friend. Using umbrellas and hats with wide brims, as well as walking on the shady side of the street, work wonders. In Israel they’ve taken this concept even further. Tel Aviv recently installed in some of its public areas light colored fabric sunshades which also have light-weight solar panels. This way, its citizens can go about their business during the day and at night in comfort.
· Check out your own city’s heat aid program. New York City, for example, opens cooling centers around its five boroughs. Located in community centers and libraries, these spaces are air-conditioned and offer relief to the elderly and more vulnerable population.
· Use your air-conditioning wisely. Con Edison recommends setting your AC to the highest comfortable temperature. They also advise us that “Every degree you lower the thermostat drives up your bill by 6 percent.” They also suggest using ceiling and other fans to improve air circulation and turning off your AC when you are not home. Remember, too, to keep those AC filters clean!
· Think white. But less so when it relates to clothing. (More on that later.) White can be effectively used to help keep down the heat inside buildings. This is why you see the color being used on roofs and exteriors of homes in hot countries. (Santorini comes to mind, right?) Another example was used last year during the summer Olympics in Tokyo when the marathon route was covered with a light-color reflective paint to keep the runners cool. Los Angeles, as well, has experimented with painting some of its streets white.
White vs black: the perennial debate
To end this little musing on ways to keep cool, let’s circle back to the myth about black making you warmer in the summer than the color white. Unlike using the white paint to cool down houses by at least 10 degrees, the effect with clothing is not the same. Here’s the scoop.
Black does indeed absorb the heat more than the color white. But that is only part of the story. Consider that heat is not just coming off the sun. It is also being generated by your warm-blooded, sweaty body. In fact, black wicks away the heat from your body.
This means that black is a better choice especially if you’re moving or if there is a slight breeze outside. White, on the other hand, reflects the sun, but at the same time reflects internal heat back to the body.
A perfect illustration of this can be found with the Bedouins who wear black robes in sweltering, hot deserts. The additional heat absorbed by the black robes is lost before it reaches the skin and drives convection under the black robe. This is why wearing a black robe is more comfortable than wearing a white one.
But nothing is simple as in fact, the color is just one issue. You also need to consider the thickness and looseness of the fabric you’re wearing. The advantage of wearing black in warm weather depends on finding clothes that are the same thickness and looseness as those summery white clothes.
For those of you who would like a more scientific explanation check out this link: https://bit.ly/3QeC2OQ
While there are only a few days of summer left, hold on to this information for future reference. With global warming a reality, it’ll come in handy next year.