Source title: Are the Europeans who have the habit of installing air conditioners ok?
Highest temperature ever!Germany is getting hotter
July 19, 2022, has the potential to be the hottest day in Germany since weather records began in 1881. Temperatures could even reach 45 degrees Celsius in parts of Germany this week, according to the latest warning from the German Weather Service. In recent years, the temperature in Germany has reached a record high. When I came to Germany for more than 10 years, I often used the same pair of jeans for four seasons. In my impression, the highest temperature in summer will not exceed 32 degrees. Now it is not surprising that it reaches 40 degrees.
The number of deaths caused by heat in Germany in the past three years
More than people die in car accidents
I had an online meeting with a colleague from Morocco at noon on Tuesday. He was fanning the folder while complaining about the sweltering weather. I thought to myself: Even Africans think Germany is hot, that’s really hot! Not only Germany, but southern Europe is suffering from forest fires due to high temperature and drought, and local residents and tourists have to be evacuated. Many forest reserves in Germany also prohibit tourists from hiking, and rangers regularly patrol the mountains.
According to statistics, in the past three years in Germany, the number of deaths due to high temperature has exceeded the number of people who died in car accidents. Over the three summers of 2018 and 2020, more than 20,000 people in Germany died from the heat, mostly the elderly. Heat-related deaths among older adults have increased by 54 percent over the past few decades, according to The Lancet.
I have a lost year friend – an 85 year old grandma named Aika who never remarried after her divorce when she was young, her daughter married to America and only comes back to see her on Christmas or Thanksgiving, Grandma Aika lives alone In an old house from the 70’s. Knowing that there will be hot weather this week, I went to the supermarket to buy 20 liters of drinking water and several medical ice packs last weekend, and sent them to her. Aika was very happy to see me and took me to the kitchen to eat freshly baked cakes. The weather was over 30 degrees and the steam was coming from the oven. There was hot tea on the table. I felt like I was in a big city. In the steamer, the clothes were soaked with sweat in a short time.
Three reasons why ordinary residents do not install air conditioners
Mainly because it’s “not worth it”
I asked my grandmother why she didn’t install an air conditioner, and she said, “That thing is very power-hungry. In the past, the hottest temperature in Germany was no more than two weeks, and it was over after a while. It was too hot, so I moved to the basement to live for a few days. “Her thoughts represent the mindset of most Germans. Civil residential buildings in Germany are generally not equipped with air conditioners, not because air conditioners are too expensive to buy, but because they are not cost-effective.
First of all, the hottest time in summer happens to be the summer vacation in Germany. Those who are afraid of the heat go to the seaside or the lake for vacation. The temperature difference between day and night in Germany is large, and the temperature will drop a lot at night. Germans who haven’t traveled can go to public places to enjoy the shade during the day, and the nearby churches and fountains have become summer resorts for all ages. When the sun was hot outside, it was only over 20 degrees in the church.
Secondly, the newly built houses in Germany pay attention to environmental protection and energy saving, and almost every window is equipped with double-layer thermal insulation curtains that protect against ultraviolet rays. Moreover, most houses in Germany are equipped with a basement. It is too hot to sleep in the basement to cool down.
Finally, most Germans live in rented houses. The rented apartments are basically unfurnished and without electrical appliances. When moving, the landlord also requires the house to be restored to its original state. Dismantling the air conditioner requires a special person, which is expensive and troublesome, so many people choose cost-effective electric fans or mobile air conditioner fans.
More than 80% of German nursing homes and hospitals
No cooling equipment installed
Grandma begged me to help with the garden. She touched the dry leaves and said regretfully, “This flower has just been beaten, and it was wilted before it bloomed. Please help me move the flower pot to a shady place. I am old and can’t move it.” This garden is the lifeblood of the old lady. She often forgets to drink water, but she remembers to water the flowers every day. I understand my grandmother’s situation very well. The most forgotten people in Germany are the elderly who live alone. They “heat to death” in their own homes due to heat stroke and cardiovascular disease, and are only discovered by their neighbors a long time later. Grandma is lucky, her neighbors are old friends who have been with each other for more than 40 years. The old lady’s key was inserted in the door, and the neighbors at the door would enter the house to say hello almost every day, and then send a message to the grandmother’s daughter to announce that she was safe.
Lessons from the sweltering heat over the years have not led Germany to take effective preventive measures. The elderly and the sick are the most vulnerable in a heatwave, yet more than 80% of German nursing homes and hospitals do not have any air conditioning or fans installed to help cool them down. Not only that, but German office buildings and residential buildings rarely have air conditioning facilities.
There are still many elderly people living alone in Germany like Grandma Aika. How to help them survive the sweltering heat is a common problem. At present, volunteers in some cities in Germany spontaneously provide a free service: calling registered elderly people in hot weather, reminding them to drink more water and avoid going out in high temperature. In an emergency, if an elderly person is unwell, they will notify the emergency doctor.
Government emergency measures “treating the symptoms but not the root cause”
Humans are “paying for” global warming
In addition to non-governmental organizations, what emergency measures has the German government taken? Germany is a federal country, and there is no nationally formulated heatstroke prevention action plan, and the state governments are responsible for formulating specific measures themselves. For example, install more drinking water points outdoors, open air-conditioned public places for the homeless for free, and allocate funds to improve conditions in hospitals and nursing homes.
However, everyone knows in their hearts that these measures are “treating the symptoms but not the root cause”. The extreme high temperature weather is actually caused by human-induced climate change. The latest research data from the German Federal Agency for Economics and Climate Action shows that since 2000, Germany has “paid” more than 6.6 billion euros for climate change every year, with a cumulative loss of at least 145 billion euros. In 2010, the German government launched a multinational climate dialogue meeting in Petersberg, a small town near Bonn.
On July 19, 2022, the Petersberg Climate Dialogue Conference just ended in Berlin, Germany. Representatives from more than 40 countries exchanged views on issues such as climate adaptation and economic compensation. German Foreign Minister Bell Burke emphasized that Germany “will not deviate from its climate protection goals and will unswervingly implement the goal of achieving climate neutrality by 2045.” The German public is skeptical, but one thing is certain, by 2045 Germany is getting hotter and hotter.
Text / Ren Miaomiao (now living in Germany)
Swiss summer fun:
Close the windows, go up the mountain, go into the water, barbecue, set off fireworks
Switzerland is rich in vegetation, there are many lakes and rivers, and the mountain wind blowing off the Alps glaciers is generally not very hot in summer, which is very suitable for a cool place to spend summer. However, in recent years, due to global climate change, the summer in Europe has been swept by high temperature and heat waves many times, and Switzerland, which is in the center of Europe, has not been spared. The Swiss also had to think of more ways to combat the summer heat.
All windows in Switzerland have visors
In general buildings in Switzerland are not equipped with air-conditioning equipment, and the way to prevent heatstroke is physical. The Swiss are very fond of dressing their buildings in summer with “full sun protection”, where all windows have visors or shades, buildings with massive glass walls, and even custom shades. In summer, many families use shading panels throughout the day to prevent sunlight from entering the house and prevent indoor heating. The windows are opened in the early morning or after the sun goes down for ventilation.
In a newly built office building, the hood is generally automatically controlled according to the light, and it will automatically start when the sunlight reaches a certain intensity. Sometimes when you walk into the house in summer, it will feel dark in front of your eyes, because the interior is almost always shielded from the sun.
In addition, all newer buildings in Switzerland are designed according to the “zero energy consumption” environmental protection building standard. There is no air conditioning in summer and no burning energy for heating in winter. The insulation layer of these buildings must reach a high standard. Under the protection of the thermal layer, environmentally friendly technologies such as heat exchange ensure that the indoor temperature is kept at a level that is comfortable for the human body.
Rarely travel in summer, choose to swim near home
Switzerland is in the interior of Europe, and the climate is relatively stable. In summer, the Swiss mountains and lakes are very comfortable. Many people go to high-altitude mountain resorts to cool off, and Swiss people who like outdoor sports will hike, walk, cycle and play paragliding or various extreme sports in the cool mountain wind of the Alps. Swimming in open water is one of the Swiss’ favorite activities. Switzerland is a small country, and almost every city and town is not far from lakes and rivers. In summer, people usually go to work and study in the morning. In the afternoon, the riverside and lakeside are very lively. Many people swim naked, play in the water, row rubber boats, and stand up paddleboard.
The source of the Ahr River in the capital Bern is very clear, but the seemingly harmless and comfortable river water has hidden murderous intentions. Swimming is very dangerous when the river is too cold and too fast. In addition, there are a lot of big rocks, which can be bumped into accidentally. Every summer, foreign tourists who are unfamiliar with the situation and blindly swim in the river drown in the river. However, the local residents of Bern have their own familiar river sections, and they will check the temperature and flow of the river through the swimming APP on their mobile phones before entering the water. Most people will bring swim rings, flotation bags, and children will wear life jackets. I have a neighbor who runs along the river to the upper reaches of the river every morning, puts his clothes and shoes in a waterproof flotation bag, and swims down the river home.
The National Day fireworks on August 1 were cancelled due to high temperature
A favorite activity of the Swiss in the summer is to stay outside and barbecue, and their barbecue parties are very special – most of the time the party organizers only provide the venue and charcoal fire. Maybe because the price is relatively expensive, everyone is used to bringing their own drinks, snacks and barbecue ingredients for barbecue parties.
Many tourist routes and bodies of water in Switzerland offer such communal grills, as well as firewood for grilling. There are two barbecue spots by the river not far from my house, and there are signs at the same time. If you want to book this barbecue spot and have a party with friends on a certain day of the month, you can write your mobile phone number and reservation time on the sign. section, everyone will consciously avoid this time. No one manages, and everyone consciously forms a tacit understanding. Another Swiss favorite is cold beer, and the brewery often sponsors summer music festivals and summer festivals.
The biggest event in Switzerland every summer is the Swiss National Day. Switzerland’s National Day falls on August 1, and almost every city and town will organize a grand celebration of fireworks. Citizens will also buy a lot of fireworks and put them at home. On the day of the National Day, the Swiss will gather all the above summer activities together in a big group. Barbecue by the lake, play with water, listen to music, drink beer and watch the grand firework show reflected on the water, the air is filled with the summer aroma of charcoal, water, alcohol and fire nitrate.
As cautious as the Swiss, if the summer temperature is too high, the fireworks festival will be cancelled, and the sale of fireworks to ordinary residents is not allowed. In 2003 and 2018, due to the high temperature in Europe, Switzerland cancelled the National Day fireworks in order to prevent forest fires. In 2022, the high temperature in Europe will break a record. I wonder if this will be another hot summer without fireworks? Text / Jia Shufen (now living in Switzerland)
Witnessing history in the UK: London’s “image of all beings” in the heat
I caught up on July 19, 2022, the day the UK went above 40C for the first time in history. For a country with a temperate maritime climate, 40 degrees Celsius is really a “big roast” and a “big test”! After all, declaring a state of emergency is no trivial matter. Although the people around him are calm, it is obvious that there are fewer people on the street. There are fewer passengers on the bus.
At the time of writing this manuscript, it was during the Great Heat. “When the red sun passes, the breeze is nowhere to be found” was originally described by Song Dynasty poets as the solar term of Great Heat.
The government and residents “show their magical powers” to escape the summer
British gentlemen are also hard to resist the high temperature to subvert the image
The government gave an early warning a few days in advance. Unlike the previous focus on strengthening the protection of vulnerable groups, this time a special reminder that disease and death will also occur in healthy people. Some airport flights have been cancelled, rail traffic has slowed down, some sections of the expressway have been sprinkled with sand to prevent melting, and electronic displays remind everyone to “plan your itinerary in extreme weather and bring water”; some schools have changed their courses to Online, non-essential, do not go out, try to work from home.
I don’t know if it has anything to do with the deep-rooted marine culture. Summer refugees go to Scotland, Northern Ireland or the seaside near London one after another. Looking at the photos posted by classmates, except for the blue sea, there are crowds of people; ‘, London’s swimming pools and fountains are overcrowded. Children in swimsuits shuttled through the water column; some people sitting on the edge of the pool, some with their feet in the pool, some with towels around their necks, and some with their heads pouring water; Completely subverted the image of a gentleman – also, demeanor and temperature can never have both.
The freezer area of British supermarkets has also made a strong air curtain to ensure the freshness of the food in the freezer.
UK restricts building installations
Some new buildings begin to be equipped with air conditioners
The hottest topic among domestic friends and relatives is the air conditioner. Why is the residential air conditioner uneasy in the UK? From my personal observation, the main reason is the climate. The extreme weather does not last for a long time.
London has a long winter, and the British government has requirements for thermal insulation of the building envelope. Warm in winter means cool in summer, and air conditioning is not a necessity. If you install a household split air conditioner, you must have an outdoor unit. Our rental contract clearly states that nothing can be installed outdoors, which technically limits the use of wall-mounted air conditioners. In the UK, whether it is a physical store or an online store, there are no wall-mounted machines and cabinets, only small portable air coolers, and the price ranges from tens of pounds to hundreds of pounds. The so-called “affordable but affordable and unaffordable” statement also makes sense. All kinds of labor costs scare people to death. In recent years, I have learned assembly and maintenance skills, and I am not forced by expensive labor costs.
Electricity prices in London rose in the first half of this year. It can be seen from Google’s search for big data that when there is a heat wave in recent years, the British people’s interest in air conditioners has increased, but from the perspective of consumption, they have not felt compelled to take action; on the other hand, some newly developed real estate There is an air-conditioning system, and it will be written in the building book as a sales highlight, that is, the rent is higher.
London’s Centennial Bridge Hammersmith
Enjoyed air conditioning treatment
This London heatwave, Hammersmith (Hammersmith Bridge) enjoys the air conditioning treatment. This bridge may not be familiar to everyone, but as soon as it is said that it is the necessary place and the best viewing place for the rowing competition between Oxford University and Cambridge University, you know how important this bridge is.
This 135-year-old suspension bridge is wrapped with insulating silver foil on the cable part to reduce solar radiation heat, and the installed temperature control system will also operate at night to cool the bridge. It can be seen that the local people’s awareness of heritage protection is also me. The most touched in this heat wave response.
The Great Heat is the hottest time of the year. We admire the solar terms of our ancestors, and the UK has not avoided it. I am very greedy for the mung bean soup that my grandma boiled. I hope that my grandma and grandpa can feel at ease when they read the article, and I also wish my friends at home a happy summer.
Wen/Yixun (now living in London)
In pleasant Nordic Sweden
Environmental thinking brought about by heat waves
The heat wave that swept across Europe in the summer of 2018 is still fresh in my memory. The 25-day heat wave in Sweden that summer from mid-July to early August was called a once-in-a-century heat wave, and its duration broke the record since 1941. . For a country like Sweden, which is famous for its pleasant summers, where houses are insulated with thick layers of double-glazed insulation, and the cold weather ensures that the room temperature of all the common people’s apartments is not lower than 18°C, that summer was very hot. Unprepared. But after the 2018 heatwave, many realized that the old Swedish summers weren’t coming back anytime soon.
There is a little girl at home who can’t stand the heat and is not afraid of the cold. Ignoring her husband’s objection and hesitation, she bought a mobile air conditioner and put it in her daughter’s room in May 2018. It proved to be a wise decision afterwards. Manufacturers are unprepared, air conditioners are out of stock, and fan shelves are starting to empty. The media began to teach everyone how to make self-made refrigeration equipment that is environmentally friendly and economical. The guys in the store knew that I had bought the mobile air conditioner in advance and claimed that as long as I was willing, I could sell it at double the price. In this part of northern Europe, air conditioners are regarded as extremely unenvironmental. The houses we live in have independent ventilation systems, and people like natural wind. Four years ago, my mobile air conditioner was the only one among the 20 households in our neighborhood committee. This year, the old neighbor and the other five or six families in the neighborhood committee finally bowed their heads to the heat wave and invested in indoor air conditioners.
In this living environment where it is a forest for ten minutes by car, our family of three likes the natural wind that comes from opening the windows, and the wind has the smell of summer. So we choose to open the window for ventilation and use the mobile air conditioner at the same time. After the temperature drops in an hour or two, it will be shut down and let the wind blow in.
The heat wave four years ago caused numerous environmental problems: the water table dropped, many trees in the forest died, and for two years in a row my favorite blueberries were gone, and the autumn mushrooms were meager. The government has begun to call for not watering the lawn during certain periods, and has also begun to encourage everyone to set aside part of the lawn for wild flowers and weeds to grow, which is diverse and environmentally friendly. The most obvious feeling in the past four years is that until the lawn is too dry, the neighbors try their best to let the lawn eat.
If you ask are the people here genuinely eco-friendly? The samples around me are for sure. Nature is not a distant tourist destination, it is right beside you, people enjoy its gifts, but also feel sad about its changes.
That autumn, I was walking alone in the forest looking at dead trees and wild fruit bushes that could not be revived, and I felt very sad. After that, I stopped turning on the sprinkler for hours and hours for the beautiful green of the lawn, and the water from washing the dishes would be poured out to water the flowers, and there were many small changes in my life.
This summer, the rain is much rarer, and blueberries are everywhere, but those familiar trees that I miss can’t come back, and I always think of them when I walk through the forest.
Text / Akka (now living in Sweden)