Published on 12, July, 2020
Is anyone else worried about Monday and Tuesday? There's a weather warning in place here. It could get to 36-degrees here on Monday! I know it'll be hotter elsewhere but this is still a lot of heat to endure. I'm so scared. I don't want to be ill. Do you think it's likely I'll be ill in this heat? I'm going to try and keep hydrated and stay in, hopefully I'll be ok, but it's still scary. Don't want to end up ill and in hospital.
You are not alone, it is only forecast to be 32 degrees where I am but I am still really worried about it. The Person Who I Live with said the only bad thing about the hot weather is the way it makes me behave! He said that I am acting as though a nuclear bomb is about to go off rather than as though it is just going to be a bit hotter than usual for a couple of days. I keep checking the weather forecast over and over again to see if any of the day time or night time temperatures have changed and I feel as though I am under siege with all the windows and curtains closed and a sense of oppression and doom that this unstoppable and inescapable force of heat is bearing down on us!
Although I don't like the heat and sunlight (and am only comfortable under 14 degrees C) I am not however worried about getting ill or dying in the immediate sense, rather I am worried about the environment, the impacts of heat stress on wildlife and farm animals, and the potential for forest or grassland fires. I don't want innocent birds, animals and plants (all of which I love) to suffer and/or die and I don't want the air quality to deteriorate! Most of all I am worried about our changing climate and the likelihood that these types of weather events will become ever more frequent. I feel as though there is nowhere "safe" on our planet to escape to, nowhere which will be unaffected and unchanged by this.
Don't worry about the next few days though, you will get through it, it sounds as though you know all the correct ways to stay safe and won't do anything silly. You will be fine. I am also telling myself that it is only for a few days and this does make it seem more manageable. Open your windows when it is cooler at night if you can.
I resonate so much with this, thank you. It feels good to hear someone else articulate it so sensitively.
It’s likely to be close to 40 degrees where I am in the UK. It’s terrifying. So much that’s necessary for life is being destroyed. Sending solidarity