Especially recently, temperatures all over the world have increased to an almost unbelievable level. Also, unless we encounter a great miracle, it is expected that the summers will get hotter, the water will get lower and people will find themselves in an even more difficult situation.
As the climate crisis continues, heat waves and similar events are predicted to become stronger, more frequent and longer lasting. It can be hard to imagine what the weather will be like in the coming years, but a study published on PLOS ONE in 2019 can help. According to the research, by 2050 London will have an air like Barcelona today; Seattle will resemble modern-day San Francisco, and Sweden’s capital, Stockholm, will have a similar feel to today’s central European city of Budapest.
Also, temperature won’t be our only problem. As warmer air is more capable of holding water vapor, the number of moist heatwaves is expected to increase as well, creating the type of heatwave that worries scientists for human health.
What happens to our bodies in extreme heat?
The human body has many different systems to deal with heat and prevent it from overheating. However, when exposed to these temperatures for a long time, the first feature it loses is its ability to sweat. When sweat dries with air, it creates a cooling effect on the human body. When the human body stops sweating, it can turn from sunstroke to heatstroke in a very short time. Your body heats up more and this starts to affect your nervous system, including the brain, after a while. At this point, confusion and even loss of consciousness can occur.
However, exposure to extreme heat also has invisible effects. These include many different problems such as kidney problems, skin infections and even premature birth. In addition, many mental health problems and even an increased risk of occupational accidents are associated with hot days. Perhaps more importantly, studies show that not only extreme temperatures pose a risk, and even just warmer-than-normal days can increase risks, especially for certain groups.
Extreme and very hot: But how hot?
Of course the most important question here is, when do the temperatures get too hot? Everyone has different ideas about temperature, and a very wide range can be described as hot by people.
In 2010, it was estimated that up to 35 degrees Celsius, the human body can regulate its own temperature. But later when Penn State researchers tested this theory, they found that “in hot, humid conditions” at around 31 degrees Celsius, the body lost its ability to regulate heat.
The most basic method our body uses for heat regulation is to carry body heat from the center to the parts that come into contact with the outside air, so that we can cool down with the ambient temperature. But in a humid environment, sweat is much more difficult to remove from our bodies, making it harder to cool down no matter how much water or shade it gets. The biggest danger of humid heat waves is that they have this dangerous combination.
Fortunately, temperatures such as 31 degrees and 35 degrees are still relatively rare and do not occur for long. But with climate change, it is predicted that more and more regions will experience these temperatures more frequently.
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