This summer I visited two coasts: the western shores of Oregon and California by motorcycle, and the southern coast of Spain. On both trips I experienced temperatures of 40 C and above, but the two countries dealt with the heat in different ways.
The Oregon Trail and California coast are known for their spectacular sea cliffs and long sandy beaches. This is a great place to cool off—when the fog rolls in, temperatures can drop into the teens. But once you cross the coastal mountains, things heat up quickly.
At one point, in a section of less than 10 kilometres, the temperature rose from 17°C to 46°C, which is almost lethal for a motorcyclist in full gear.
On an inner two-lane highway, where traffic was backed up for construction, I caught up with a group of motorcyclists. We all instinctively dismounted and stood under a tree on the side of the road to get a few minutes of relief from the blazing sun. An empathetic woman in a camper approached us with bottles of ice water and said, “You look like you need this.” And so it was.
Ice water is usually more effective than warmer water at preventing your body from overheating.
The lesson I took from this experience is to ride in the morning before it gets hot at midday.
While Spain has been struggling with desert-like heat for centuries, and although air conditioning is common, other ways to adapt to the heat have been invented that are incredibly simple and effective.
The traditional siesta is still widely observed. Many shops close in the middle of the day — except those in tourist areas where crazy Canadians wander around in the heat. Locals usually just stay inside to avoid the heat.
After sunset, everything in Spain comes alive. Restaurants open their terraces on the streets, people go out for dinner, stroll along the historic streets that have been closed to vehicles, and children play in the parks. All this at 10pm, when the temperature is reasonable.
When the sun was shining, in the old historic districts, fabric awnings were hung on the narrow streets on the roofs of buildings to provide shade. You could feel the difference when walking under them.
Restaurants that remain open during the day offer mist cooling. A fine stream of water from overhead nozzles provides evaporative cooling for both the air and the skin.
Along the southern coast, in the province of Almería, you cross a mountain range and look down on a wide valley completely covered in white.
The region is a major producer of fruit and vegetables, grown in greenhouses covered with white plastic. This practice dates back to the 1950s, and for this reason the region has one of the highest concentrations of greenhouses in the world.
The white coverings reduce the intensity of sunlight and retain moisture, allowing plants to grow much better than in the open. Long greenhouses lie side by side, covering the entire valley, an area of about 40,000 hectares.
Satellite measurements show that the combined effect of all these white surfaces reflecting sunlight rather than absorbing it has led to the region cooling by 0.3°C per decade, while the surrounding area has warmed by 0.5°C.
In addition to adapting to rising heat, Spain and other European countries are also investing in green energy to reduce carbon emissions. Looking down from the historic Alhambra castle, you could see wind turbines on the neighboring hills—old and new sharing the same space.
As you will hear in this week’s special edition Overheated issue Singularities and quarksthe problem of rising temperatures in our cities is a growing problem. However, there are also solutions to adapt to a warmer world: more trees, green roofs, lighter roof colors and painting buildings white.
We even saw a green alley in Montreal where large planters with trees were placed along the walls, making the narrow space not only cooler but also more pleasant.
Climate change is here, now. But that is no reason to despair. We have the techniques to adapt to a warmer world, and we also have the technology to produce carbon-free energy to prevent the world from warming any further.
This story is part of our Overheated series, a collaboration between What on Earth, Quirks & Quarks, and White Coat, Black Art, examining how heat is affecting our health, our cities, and our ecosystems.
