Episode 14: The Coolest Summer For The Rest of Your Life

This will be the coolest summer in your lifetime.

Read that again.

If current climate trends continue, nearly every summer after this one is expected to be hotter. Extreme heat isn't just uncomfortable. It affects our health, air quality, infrastructure, energy systems, and the communities least able to adapt. We know that temperatures are changing. The question is how do we prepare and support the most vulnerable?

Transcript

Hey everyone and welcome back! My name is Carmen, and I am your Brooklyn-based host for this podcast. Here, I talk about and present air quality issues so that you have the information you need to make the best decisions for you and your family. At the time of recording this episode, the temperature in Brooklyn, NY is 100 degrees F, and our current AQI is 88.

Today’s topic is inspired by a thought I recently had:  "This will be the coolest summer in my lifetime." It popped into my head and I said it out loud, and as soon as I said it, it sounded foreign but it also made sense. It was troubling to think about. We’re currently in the middle of an extreme heat wave and I’m over here talking about the coolest summer ever.

Take a moment and let that sink in.

At first, it sounds completely backwards. Ludicrous even. Coolest? It certainly doesn't feel cool outside. But that's exactly the point.

This statement isn't saying that this summer is comfortable. It isn't predicting upcoming weather. It's describing the direction that our climate is moving in. As current warming trends continue, for many people alive today, this summer may be the coolest one they'll experience for the rest of their lives. As a mom and middle-aged person, I’m coming to grips with that in complex ways. It’s a very sobering thought.

Today we’ll unpack what that really means, why scientists are increasingly concerned about extreme heat, how rising temperatures affect air quality, and what each of us can do to prepare.

Let’s begin with the basics to get us all on the same page. Weather and climate are not the same thing.

When we’re talking about weather, we’re referring to what happens outside your window today, in present time. Weather changes every day, sometimes a couple of times in the same day. We experience weather in live time, and can forecast ahead for a short period. Right now, the weather is very very hot and the forecast predicts it will remain this way for a couple more days.

Climate is big picture and focuses on the average pattern of weather over a long period of time. This can be decades, centuries, or more. 

Another way to think about this is to compare weather and climate to your mood. Your mood changes every day. Some days you're happy. Some days you're tired. Some days you're stressed. Depending on the day, your mood may reflect all of these things. Personality is different. Personality stays relatively consistent over time and is a more accurate reflection of who you are as a person.

Weather is your mood. Climate is your personality.

One hot day doesn't prove climate change, and one cold winter doesn't disprove it either.

You see, scientists don't look at individual days. Instead they examine decades of temperature records from thousands of weather stations, satellites, ocean measurements, and climate models from around the world. When they do this, the picture becomes remarkably clear.

Our planet is warming.

Since the late 1800s, Earth's average surface temperature has increased by roughly 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit—or roughly 1.2 degrees Celsius. Without context, that might not sound dramatic. After all, two degrees doesn't seem like much when deciding what to wear.

But remember, that's a global average. The entire planet. Imagine increasing the average temperature of every ocean, every continent, every desert, every forest, and every mountain on Earth. The amount of energy that takes is enormous, and it was humans who put all that effort in. Our lives create pollution that makes our planet hotter. Carbon dioxide, methane, and other greenhouse gases act much like an extra blanket wrapped around our planet. Keep adding blankets on a hot summer day, and it quickly becomes suffocatingly hot.

Earth is experiencing something similar. The atmosphere is becoming better at trapping heat, and humans are becoming more efficient at producing pollution. That means heat waves become more frequent and intense. They last longer. Even nighttime temperatures stay warmer, giving our bodies less opportunity to recover. And that's important because our bodies depend on cooler nights to relieve the stress caused by daytime heat.

Extreme heat is more than uncomfortable. It's dangerous to life and health. In fact, heat causes more weather-related deaths in the United States than hurricanes, tornadoes, or floods. Many people are surprised by that. Heat doesn't always look dramatic. There's no swirling storm or siren to warn you. No giant wall of water or wind coming your way. Instead, heat quietly affects our hearts, lungs, kidneys, and brains. Older adults, young children, outdoor workers, athletes, and people with chronic medical conditions or who take certain medications are especially vulnerable.

Even with all that in mind, heat doesn't affect everyone equally. If you've ever walked through New York City on a hot hot day, you've probably noticed that some neighborhoods feel significantly hotter than others. That's because of something called the Urban Heat Island Effect. Cities are covered with concrete, asphalt, rooftops, brick buildings, and parking lots. These same materials absorb sunlight throughout the day, then they slowly release that heat overnight. As a result, certain parts of the city often remain several degrees warmer than nearby areas. Neighborhoods with higher building density and fewer trees and green space experience the highest temperatures. Unfortunately, these neighborhoods are often the same communities already facing environmental and health challenges. This is why climate scientists increasingly describe extreme heat as both an environmental issue and a public health issue.

Now let's connect this to what I discuss often on this podcast: air quality.

Many people assume hotter weather simply means sweating a little more. But higher temperatures also change the chemistry of our atmosphere. Ground-level ozone forms when pollutants from vehicles, power plants, and industrial activities react with heat and sunlight. The hotter and sunnier it becomes, the more easily ozone forms. That's why many cities issue Air Quality Alerts during hot summer afternoons. For someone with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or other respiratory conditions, these high ozone days can make breathing much more difficult. Even healthy people may notice irritated eyes, coughing, throat irritation, or reduced exercise performance.

Heat and air pollution often work together. I go into more detail about this in episode 12.

As temperatures rise, wildfire risk increases in many regions. We already know that wildfire smoke can travel hundreds (or even thousands) of miles, carrying tiny particles known as PM2.5. If you've listened to earlier episodes of this podcast, you already know these microscopic particles can penetrate deep into our lungs and even enter the bloodstream.

This means that a hotter climate often results in poorer air quality.

Now, here's something really important. Climate change doesn't mean every single year will be hotter than the one before. Our planet isn’t neat and linear like that, and I think we really need to embrace that because if we don’t we risk not paying attention to what’s happening right in front of us.

Here’s another analogy to help us along. Let’s imagine we’re climbing a staircase while bouncing a basketball. The basketball moves up and down with every bounce. But the staircase continues upward. Year-to-year temperatures bounce around, yet the long-term trend continues upward. This is exactly what scientists are observing, and its clear as day.

So what can we do? Fortunately, there are many proven solutions. Cities are planting more street trees to increase shade. Here in NYC, our mayor has committed to increasing street trees in neighborhoods that desperately need them. Many cities have made use of cool roofs that reflect sunlight instead of absorbing it. Some communities are replacing dark pavement with lighter, more reflective and sometimes porous materials.

Fortunately we have public cooling centers that provide safe places during dangerous heat waves, and public health agencies now issue heat alerts just as they do for severe storms. These alerts include tips on staying cool and accessing resources.

On an individual scale, there’s also things you can do:

Stay hydrated. Wear lightweight clothing. Avoid strenuous outdoor activities during the hottest part of the day. Check on elderly neighbors. Never leave children or pets inside parked vehicles, and pay attention to both heat advisories and air quality forecasts.

If the Air Quality Index is elevated, consider moving your exercise indoors or choosing an earlier time in the morning to be outside with your child. These small actions can prevent serious illness.

Finally, I'd like to leave you with a thought. "This will be the coolest summer of your lifetime," is not a prediction. It's a reminder.

Climate change isn't something happening to future generations. It's unfolding right now. The choices we make today—how we produce and use energy, how we design our cities, how we reduce pollution, and how we prepare for extreme heat, these will determine what future summers look like.

Every fraction of a degree matters. Every community action matters. Every conversation matters.

Thank you for joining me for another episode of the podcast. If today's episode made you think differently about summer, climate, or air quality, I'd love for you to share it with a friend or family member. These conversations help spread awareness, and awareness is the first step toward meaningful action. Remember, we’re all in this together.

Until next time, stay curious, stay informed, and as always...Breathe easy.

RESOURCES:
https://science.nasa.gov/climate-change/evidence/
https://www.climate.gov/climatedashboard
https://www.epa.gov/heatislands
https://www.cdc.gov/heat-health/hcp/clinical-overview/index.html
https://www.ipcc.ch/