While other parts of the world suffer under much more extreme heat, my hometown in the heartland feels like I’m inside a convection oven delicately nestled inside a warming pan. In other words, it’s hot!
The New York Times reported last week, “Last month was Earth’s warmest June on record, according to researchers at the World Meteorological Organization, and scientists have said that the first two weeks of July have been the hottest since at least 1940, and very likely before that.”
The Washington Post said, “It’s not just a record-hot day or two, unprecedented heat waves or abnormally warm ocean waters: All indications are that this will be the hottest single month on Earth on record, and possibly in more than 100,000 years.”
What makes this so miserable for the Randalls is our air conditioning unit went down a few weeks ago. Apparently, the A/C blower does not appreciate running 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
No worries, though. We will have a new blower as soon as the warranty company approves the claim, the A/C company orders the part, we wait 7-10 days for the part to arrive, and then schedule a time for the A/C to return and install the new blower. Easy, peasy!
Even though we are the proud owners of three new window units to keep us calm and sane, I’ve had some time lately to think cool thoughts about the environment and creation care.
With news stories piling up about the rapidly harmful changes occurring to the planet, one story stopped me dead in my tracks.
The Washington Post published a story about the rising dangers of extreme heat in other parts of the world. In Iran, for example, the heat index reached 152˚F at the Persian Gulf International Airport.
These kinds of temperatures place human life in extreme danger. The Post reported, “Such conditions are more than enough to overwhelm the body’s ability to regulate its internal temperature.”
The report continued, “Research has shown the human body loses its ability to cool itself via sweating at 95 degrees (35 Celsius) on what is known as the wet bulb temperature scale, which factors in both temperature and humidity.”
Larry Kenney, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, said: “At that point, exposure to such heat and humidity can strain the heart and cause body temperatures to rise unabatedly. That’s why extreme heat is most dangerous for older people and those with heart conditions.”
Reading about this terrifying news, my mind wandered to the Psalms. David wrote: “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water” (63:1).
With all due respect to David, I ask his forgiveness by adapting his beautiful words: “You, God, are our God, earnestly we seek you during intense days. We thirst for you, desperately needing a cool drink from your waters, longing for a gentle breeze to cool the hot and humid air.”
“We live in dry lands, brought about by our neglect to take our responsibilities as caretakers of your creation. Forgive us, our Lord, and wet the lips of those who suffer from our sins. Especially care for the vulnerable and least of these. We have failed them.”
As the dog days of summer churn on towards August, please remember the intense feelings of this unbearable heat. Most reading these words do so from the comfort of climate-controlled homes, but many in the world do not have that luxury.
When we think of lifestyles and public policy, let’s think of them. Our actions and the demands we place on our elected officials to combat climate change very well might mean the difference between life and death for some people.
May we do the right thing and leave Dante’s Inferno to the imagination only.
