The unequal impact of heatwaves

It’s raining as I write, bringing a welcome dose of cool air after several days of high temperatures. Our house has a tendency to overheat since our neighbour cut down a shading tree, and the family has been taking refuge from the heatwave in nearby woods and rivers.

When we Brits talk about heatwaves we mean temperatures that reach as high as, you know, 34 or 35 degrees celsius. These are not temperatures that will illicit much sympathy from readers in more Equatorial regions. To put things in ...