{"id":25948,"date":"2016-01-14T09:00:55","date_gmt":"2016-01-14T12:00:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rioonwatch.org\/?p=25948"},"modified":"2016-02-02T11:46:58","modified_gmt":"2016-02-02T14:46:58","slug":"getting-warmer-handling-the-summer-heat-in-rio-de-janeiro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/?p=25948","title":{"rendered":"Getting Warmer: Handling the Summer Heat in Rio de Janeiro"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our last article on rising temperatures\u00a0in Rio de Janeiro, we discussed heat islands and the unequal distribution of extreme heat<\/a> throughout the metropolitan area.\u00a0<\/span>Recently, Rio de Janeiro gained\u00a0notoriety\u00a0as the <\/span>Latin American city\u00a0<\/span>that will be most severely\u00a0impacted<\/a> by the effects of global warming. According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), Rio will experience an increase of 3.8 degrees Celsius by 2080. While the year seems far off and the increment small, these increasing temperatures<\/a> will mean more days of extreme temperatures, like October 15 and 16 last\u00a0year<\/span>\u00a0when temperatures reached\u00a042.8 degrees Celsius<\/a>, and 38 degrees\u00a0just last week when the\u00a0thermal sensation was of 55\u00a0degrees Celsius<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

As we wade into summer, such extremely high temperatures are becoming more and more common. Cariocas from different backgrounds experience this heat in a variety of ways. Some simply feel an increased discomfort on hot days, while others experience severe medical issues such as those linked to\u00a0low blood pressure and dehydration.<\/p>\n

Carioca perceptions of heat<\/b><\/h3>\n

In order to better understand how cariocas\u00a0handle the heat, RioOnWatch<\/em> interviewed residents in Rio’s hottest<\/a>\u00a0(Bangu<\/a>, in the West Zone<\/a>) and coolest<\/a>\u00a0neighborhoods (Leblon<\/a>, G\u00e1vea<\/a>, Ipanema<\/a>, and Jardim Bot\u00e2nico<\/a> in the South Zone<\/a>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Both in the South and West\u00a0Zones, interviewees\u00a0frequently cited taking showers and staying hydrated by drinking water as ways\u00a0to\u00a0manage\u00a0on hot days. A few also mentioned wearing lighter clothing. Two male professionals cited wearing suits to work as an intense source of discomfort on hot days. Several\u00a0people said they feel uncomfortably hot in the street and about half actively\u00a0take care to avoid the street during the summer.\u00a0Those who can, such as retired people and students with more flexible hours, stay home and avoid going out on hot days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"People<\/a><\/p>\n

Some answers appeared to vary depending on the neighborhood.\u00a0In Bangu<\/a> half the people we spoke with\u00a0said they always or frequently feel uncomfortable due to high temperatures. In the South Zone, about one third\u00a0cited feeling uncomfortable always or frequently. One individual\u00a0in Jardim Bot\u00e2nico cited the proximity of the lagoon, beaches and forest as having a cooling effect on her neighborhood.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On average, interviewees in Bangu reported spending 4.5 hours in the sun each day. In Jardim Bot\u00e2nico and Leblon, in contrast, most interviewees\u00a0said they spent little time in the sun, citing commutes to work or school as their only required time outside. This indicates that residents in the South Zone are better able to avoid summer heat than are residents in Bangu. Factors such as a short commute time, an indoor work environment, and ability to maintain a cool and comfortable home environment all\u00a0mitigate one’s exposure to the negative impacts of extreme heat; it’s important to note these factors are more likely to occur\u00a0in the wealthier, and\u00a0often already cooler<\/a>, regions of the metropolitan region.<\/span><\/p>\n

Heat-related illnesses are of special concern as they tend to affect already vulnerable populations such as the elderly and children. Two-thirds of interviewees\u00a0in Bangu said they or someone they knew had experienced heat-related illnesses. In the South Zone about half\u00a0said they knew someone with heat-related illnesses. One person from the South Zone cited a friend who lived in the North Zone<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How to\u00a0mitigate heat in our communities<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"Rio<\/a><\/p>\n

About half of the people we spoke with\u00a0stated that they believed planting more trees was a key way to mitigate intense heat in their communities. Research suggests<\/a>\u00a0just one tree alone has the cooling effect of five air conditioners.\u00a0<\/span>Tree cover<\/a> is often related to class. Richer neighborhoods are more likely to have a higher tree cover allowing for more shade, while poorer neighborhoods often lack trees. In Leblon and Jardim Bot\u00e2nico, for example, trees line public sidewalks and squares, providing\u00a0shade and the cooling effects from evapotranspiration (the release of water vapor). In the North and West Zones, there is a noticeable lack of public investment in tree planting. Additionally, according to\u00a0Richieri Antonio Sartori,\u00a0biology professor at PUC-Rio, more trees would be useful in mitigating heat but substantial\u00a0tree-planting projects are unlikely to take precedence in the North and West Zones.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given the potential of tree cover, it is unfortunate the government has\u00a0abandoned its promise to plant\u00a024 to 34 million trees<\/a> ahead of the 2016 Olympic Games<\/a>. The City claims it is currently developing other\u00a0plans<\/a> for expanding tree cover across the city as a\u00a0tool to counter\u00a0extreme temperatures.<\/span><\/p>\n

Rio\u2019s participation in projects such as the\u00a0Urban Climate Change Research Network<\/a>\u00a0and the C40<\/a>\u00a0Compact of Mayors<\/a>\u00a0implies, at least on paper, a dedication to building\u00a0resilience to the effects of increasing temperatures. Unfortunately,\u00a0the long-term aspirational nature of participating in such pacts means little for actual implementation on a schedule that impacts people’s lives here and now, and may well just be another example of \u00a0‘For the English to See<\/a>‘\u00a0. With yet another hot summer arriving, short-term strategies to mitigate extreme heat in places like Bangu will be critical to the health and comfort of residents. One resident of Jardim Bot\u00e2nico stated: “The sun is a part of life in Rio. We have to deal with the heat.”\u00a0But residents of other parts of Rio will need more concrete plans than that.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In our last article on rising temperatures\u00a0in Rio de Janeiro, we discussed heat islands and the unequal distribution of extreme heat throughout the metropolitan area.\u00a0Recently, Rio de Janeiro gained\u00a0notoriety\u00a0as the Latin American city\u00a0that will be […]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":96,"featured_media":26067,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[335,329,452,1329],"tags":[317,416,107,473,203,418,894,419,327,5,1403,156,471,727,1099,21],"writer":[1819],"translator":[],"illustrator":[],"photographer":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-25948","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-policies","8":"category-solutions","9":"category-rio20","10":"category-by-international-observers","11":"tag-bangu","12":"tag-gavea","13":"tag-health","14":"tag-heat-island","15":"tag-inequality","16":"tag-ipanema","17":"tag-jardim-botanico","18":"tag-leblon","19":"tag-legacy-myth","20":"tag-olympics","21":"tag-solution","22":"tag-south-zone","23":"tag-sustainability","24":"tag-temperature","25":"tag-trees","26":"tag-west-zone","27":"writer-lovinia-reynolds"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25948","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/96"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25948"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25948\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25948"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25948"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25948"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwriter&post=25948"},{"taxonomy":"translator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftranslator&post=25948"},{"taxonomy":"illustrator","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fillustrator&post=25948"},{"taxonomy":"photographer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rioonwatch.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fphotographer&post=25948"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}