Marble Falls For decades, New Orleanians would nod to each other in the summer, “it’s not the heat, it’s the humidity,” when both would twin together around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Now, it’s both, with temperatures that are regularly in the low 90s and can sometimes break 100, something almost unheard of decades ago. Living in the city, locals adapt with ceiling fans, air conditioners, cold drinks and showers, while sitting on their stoops only as the sun goes down. If the city never sleeps, as many say, it has to do with the heat as much as any other nocturnal habit.
Climate change has brought the heat everywhere now. Many people are imperiled in geographies that have enjoyed cooler summers and are unprepared for what industry, lack of government intervention, and personal habits have now created. Today’s headlines tell the story:
- In a heat wave sweeping much of Europe … temperatures soared past 100 degrees Fahrenheit, or 37.8 Celsius, in many places in the south. In Italy, heat warnings were issued for 16 cities. And in France — still scarred by a 2003 heat wave that killed thousands — the prime minister canceled a trip to monitor the effects of the weather. A nuclear reactor in southern France had to shut down, because discharging its heated water into an already-overheated river would have endangered wildlife.
- India is struggling with heat waves. In some parts of the country, daytime temperatures have hovered close to 50 degrees Celsius, or 122 degrees Fahrenheit. Three quarters of the country’s population of 1.4 billion is at risk of extreme heat. India is warming at a rate twice as fast as the global average.
In an emergency call among key ACORN affiliates, consensus came together quickly for a global “Beat the Heat” action to call attention to the crisis for lower income families, tenants, and workers on July 23rd. In India, ACORN street vendors and gig workers have already launched street and social media protests, even as the monsoons begin offering relief in some parts of the country. ACORN Canada has led in fighting for local cooling ordinances or bylaws to win protection for tenants. Three cities including Toronto and Hamilton have agreed to study and then implement measures for landlords to provide cooling systems and safe rooms when temperatures hit certain levels. We’ve won 500 air conditioners in Toronto and more than a 1000 in British Columbia, although the government is trying to renege. France is launching an effort win protections in social housing. Other affiliates are demanding housing retrofits to deal with climate change.
In the United States, the LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program) is in crisis. Trump tried to close the program in his first term and now under Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr. all of the staff administering the $4.1 billion Congressional allocation have been laid off, so there is no way for the remaining funds to be distributed this summer. Historically, over the last more than 40 years of the program’s existence 90% of the funds have been used to support heating assistance for families in the winter with the rest for summer cooling. With climate change, more is needed for summer crises, even while the Trump administration is playing political games with the program. The program is not an entitlement and the money runs out way before the end of each fiscal year. In another action, by executive order Trump has rolled back the Biden OSHA protections mandating additional breaks triggered by high temperatures for agricultural and other outdoor workers. On the state and city level, many jurisdictions are also simply not meeting the moment. The impacts on health and the environment from high temperatures are well known and documented by the death counts.
ACORN’s “Beat the Heat” action won’t lower the temperature, but is intended to direct some of the heat to policy makers, landlords, and employers to force needed action. Dealing with climate change is not something that happens at big global conferences, but is very local at home and the workplace, and ACORN is demanding that the heat be met head on.
Join us on July 23rd.