We're not built for this heat

Summary

We're Not Built for This Heat

Consider This from NPR
Release Date: June 25, 2025

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Introduction: Battling the Heat Wave

The episode opens with Juana Summers addressing listeners facing an intense heat wave sweeping through parts of the United States. Drawing from firsthand experiences, Juana emphasizes the immediate challenges posed by such extreme temperatures.

Notable Quote:

"I am living in a part of the country that is still cooking through a brutal heat wave."
— Javeria Roya, Curiosity Preschool and Childcare Center, Silver Spring, Maryland
(00:18)

Impact on Public Health and Daily Routines

Javeria Roya, a teacher, discusses practical adjustments made to ensure children's safety during the heat. She highlights the importance of hydration and adjusting schedules to cooler parts of the day.

Notable Quotes:

"As a teacher, I have to constantly remind them, like, hey, you know, your body is like an engine. It can overheat, so you need to fuel yourself with water."
— Julia Simon
(00:35)

"She's adjusted the kids' schedule. Outdoor activities are all in the morning, and that is important because this kind of heat can be dangerous for everyone."
— Juana Summers
(00:43)

Health Risks Associated with Early Heat Waves

Patricia Fabian, an associate professor of environmental health at Boston University, sheds light on the heightened health risks due to the premature onset of the heat wave. She explains that early-season heat can catch populations unprepared, leading to increased emergency room visits and even fatalities.

Notable Quotes:

"We will expect to see more emergency department visits because of heat stress. We'll expect to see probably an increase in deaths."
— Patricia Fabian
(01:01)

"The other big part of it is really more the physiological response that as time goes by and we're exposed to hot weather, our body learns how to sweat and cool down."
— Patricia Fabian
(01:27)

Infrastructure Under Strain: Roads and Railways

Juana Summers transitions to a broader perspective, discussing how climate-induced heat waves are testing the nation's infrastructure. Extreme temperatures are causing roads to buckle and affecting rail travel, leading to slower train services.

Notable Quotes:

"The effects of this week's extreme heat have shown up in some surprising places. You may have seen videos online of the heat causing asphalt roads to buckle, creating bumps in the ground."
— Juana Summers
(03:16)

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Expert Insight: Mikhail Chester on Transportation Infrastructure

To delve deeper into the infrastructure challenges, Juana interviews Mikhail Chester, an engineering professor at Arizona State University. He explains the dual impact of extreme heat on transportation systems: direct damage to infrastructure and the resulting operational challenges.

Key Points:

• Direct Impact: Roads and railways were designed based on historical temperature data. Current heat extremes exceed these design thresholds, causing cracking, rutting, and issues with thermal expansion joints in rail tracks.
  (04:32)

• Operational Challenges: Transit agencies are forced to adjust services, such as running trains more slowly to prevent track damage. Additionally, extreme heat affects the personnel operating these systems, necessitating safety measures and adjustments to work schedules.
  (05:37)

• Broader Implications: Heat waves also disrupt airport operations, requiring longer distances for plane takeoffs and affecting overall service reliability.
  (05:48)

Notable Quotes:

"When it comes to rail, you might experience that the thresholds, the thermal expansion joints of the rail tracks are being exceeded."
— Mikhail Chester
(04:32)

"People who operate transportation infrastructure, who are outside are also impacted by these heat waves. You know, we need to keep them in reprieve for a little bit longer and make sure that, you know, they are ultimately safe."
— Mikhail Chester
(06:42)

---

Adaptation and Innovation in Response to Climate Challenges

Mikhail Chester emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift in how infrastructure is designed and maintained. Traditional engineering approaches are proving insufficient in the face of escalating climate extremes, urging the adoption of innovative solutions and knowledge sharing.

Notable Quotes:

"Now is a time when we're starting to see innovation emerge and also limitations of how much we can engineer ourselves using existing models of how we typically approach infrastructure."
— Mikhail Chester
(06:48)

"We need to pivot how we're approaching this challenge, and that's going to require us to innovate, which we are doing. It's going to require us to share that knowledge, which we're starting to do."
— Mikhail Chester
(07:39)

---

Protecting the Workforce: Ensuring Safety in Extreme Heat

Beyond infrastructure, Mikhail highlights the critical need to safeguard the workers maintaining these essential systems. Implementing guidelines on safe exposure times and providing adequate cooling and hydration are paramount.

Notable Quotes:

"We need to make sure that we have the latest knowledge in science to be able to protect them. For example, how long is it safe for them to be outside in heat waves relative to how long do they need to come into air conditioning for reprieve?"
— Mikhail Chester
(08:41)

"Arming them with the appropriate knowledge of how they should respond to these disasters and threats becomes really important."
— Mikhail Chester
(08:41)

---

Practical Tips for Staying Cool

Transitioning from macro-level impacts to personal strategies, Juana shares practical advice on managing extreme heat, featuring insights from Julia Simon of NPR's Climate Desk and Nate Adams from West Virginia.

Indoor Cooling Strategies:

• Block Out Heat: Close curtains and blinds to prevent sunlight from heating interiors.
  (09:49)

• Use Fans Effectively: Position fans next to you to maximize cooling.
  (09:49)

• Avoid Heat-Generating Activities: Refrain from using stoves or ovens during peak heat hours.
  (09:49)

• Innovative Cooling: Techniques like sleeping with a wet sheet can enhance cooling through evaporation.
  (09:49)

Air Conditioning Tips:

• Optimal Settings: Adjust AC settings to a comfortable level without overburdening the system.
  (10:17)

• Maintenance: Ensure air filters are clean to maintain efficiency.
  (10:25)

Long-Term Home Solutions:

• Seal Leaks: Improve home insulation to prevent hot air infiltration.
  (11:00)

• Exterior Shades: Install shades or reflective materials to reduce heat absorption.
  (11:56)

Staying Cool Outdoors:

• Limit Outdoor Exposure: Stay indoors during extreme heat; if necessary, hydrate frequently and wear protective clothing.
  (12:02)

• Rapid Cooling Techniques: Submerge arms in ice-cold water for quick temperature reduction.
  (12:02)

---

The Climate Connection: Human-Caused Global Warming

Julia Simon connects the dots between the recurring heat waves and broader climate change, underscoring the role of human activities in exacerbating these extreme weather events.

Notable Quotes:

"Scientists say the most intense heat waves would not be possible without human-caused global warming."
— Julia Simon
(12:41)

"The primary driver is humans burning planet-heating fossil fuels like oil, gas, and coal. Scientists say we already have scalable solutions that can cut climate pollution like wind and solar energy combined with large battery systems."
— Julia Simon
(12:41)

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Conclusion: A Call to Adapt and Act

The episode wraps up by reinforcing the urgency of adapting both personal habits and broader infrastructure systems to cope with the intensifying heat due to climate change. Listeners are encouraged to implement immediate cooling strategies while advocating for long-term, sustainable solutions to mitigate future climate impacts.

Credits: Produced by Jeffrey Pierre, Mia Venkat, and Connor Donovan. Edited by the 10 Beat Armies team, including Sadie Babbitts, Neela Banerjee, and Courtney Dorning. Executive Producer: Sammy Yenigun.

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Consider This provides a comprehensive look at how extreme heat is not just a temporary discomfort but a growing challenge intricately linked to our infrastructure and climate policies. By blending expert insights with practical advice, the episode equips listeners with the knowledge to navigate and respond to the escalating heat crisis.

Transcript

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[Juana Summers]

Advice is technically for toddlers, but it might be what you need to hear right now, especially if you are like, I am living in a part of the country that is still cooking through a brutal heat wave. It comes from Javeria Roya at Curiosity Preschool and Childcare center in Silver Spring, Maryland.

[Julia Simon]

As a teacher, I have to constantly remind them, like, hey, you know, your body is like an engine. It can overheat, so you need to fuel yourself with water.

[Juana Summers]

She's adjusted the kids schedule. Outdoor activities are all in the morning, and that is important because this kind of heat can be dangerous for everyone.

[Patricia Fabian]

We will expect to see more emergency department visits because of heat stress. We'll expect to see probably an increase in deaths.

[Juana Summers]

That's Patricia Fabian, an associate professor of environmental health at Boston University, speaking to us over the weekend. She says an early heat wave like this it is only June, can be especially dangerous. That's partly because people haven't prepared.

[Patricia Fabian]

Maybe their air conditioners aren't put into like for window air conditioners. They haven't thought about hydration and carrying water bottles.

[Juana Summers]

But also, she says, our bodies aren't ready.

[Patricia Fabian]

The other big part of it is really more the physiological response that as time goes by and we're exposed to hot weather, our body learns how to sweat and cool down.

[Juana Summers]

This early in the season, our bodies haven't had time to adapt. And if we zoom out a bit, you can see a similar pattern playing out on a larger scale. Climate change is making heat waves more intense across most of the US And a lot of American cities just aren't made for this kind of heat. But like where Fabian lives in Boston.

[Patricia Fabian]

We'Ve been used to thinking about cold and blizzards and snow days and not heat days. And I think for that reason also, all of the buildings have been built up over time to retain heat and not to be cool.

[Juana Summers]

Consider this extreme heat is testing our bodies and our infrastructure. How can humans adapt? From npr, I'm Juana Summers.

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[Juana Summers]

The House of Representatives has approved a White House request to claw back two years of previously approved funding for public media. The rescissions package now moves on to the Senate. This move poses a serious threat to local stations and public media as we know it. Please take a stand for public media [e-mail] thank you. It's consider this from NPR. The effects of this week's extreme heat have shown up in some surprising places. You may have seen videos online of the heat causing asphalt roads to buckle, creating bumps in the ground. It's impacting rail travel, too. Amtrak has been running some trains more slowly, as have the public transit Systems of Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia. To explain what's happening, I spoke with Mikhail Chester. He's an engineering professor at Arizona State University, where he studies the impacts of climate change on transportation infrastructure. Okay, I'd love to start, if we can, with roads and trains. Can you start by just telling us briefly, how does extreme heat affect train tracks, for example, or make the road expand? What exactly is happening there?

[Mikhail Chester]

Yeah. So there's sort of two dynamics to think about. One is the impact directly to the infrastructure itself. And in many ways, we've designed our infrastructures over decades, if not centuries for temperatures that have been relatively milder. So when it comes to a road, we designed roads with a particular temperature extreme in mind, depending on the particular location where that road is built and maintained. And now as temperatures are hotter, you're starting to see the dynamics of those extremes take hold, exceeding the design thresholds of those infrastructures and the particular assets. So you might experience more cracking and rutting when it comes to a road. When it comes to rail, you might experience that the thresholds, the thermal expansion joints of the rail tracks are being exceeded. And even if the infrastructure itself is not impacted, simply the threat of the failure is resulting in transit agencies or transportation agencies in general having to look out for these threats.

[Juana Summers]

We've talked a little bit about roads and trains, but are there other examples you could give us about ways that extreme heat can impact the country's transportation infrastructure and the people who depend on it?

[Mikhail Chester]

Sure. So you have started to see stories pop up of airport impacts to service operations where planes and pilots are told to essentially adjust how much distance they need to take off. And that has had an impact on service and operations. But also there's a human side to this. So people who operate transportation infrastructure, who are outside are also are impacted by these heat waves. You know, we need to keep them in reprieve for a little bit longer and make sure that, you know, they are ultimately safe. A common story that we might hear about is how passengers on transit vehicles, for example, might be more unruly, more often leading to police intervention. So all of these things are at play and ultimately may have some impact into the service.

[Juana Summers]

So, Mikhail, to your mind, is this a moment to say that we need to change our approach?

[Mikhail Chester]

Correct. Now is a time when we're starting to see innovation emerge and also limitations of how much we can engineer ourselves using existing models of how we typically approach infrastructure. Whereas in the past we may have said we'll simply update to hotter temperatures in how we design. The challenge of doing that is there's so much infrastructure out there, and the costs of rehabilitating all might be quite expensive. And as such, we're starting to see folks ask this question of what could we do differently?

[Juana Summers]

I wonder if you have a message to policymakers or others who are approving budgets in order to make cities more resilient. Is there one thing in particular they should think about as they're trying to figure out how to address this?

[Mikhail Chester]

I would say that as we enter this period where we're experiencing these climate hazards, heat and otherwise, we're starting to see that there's a major market for producing knowledge to be able to address these challenges. Often the way that we've been doing it in the past doesn't seem to be sufficient for how we need to approach infrastructure in the future. We need to pivot how we're approaching this challenge, and that's going to require us to innovate, which we are doing. It's going to require us to share that knowledge, which we're starting to do.

[Juana Summers]

One thing you said that really stuck with me is the fact that, yes, this is about infrastructure in terms of rails and roads and buses and cars, but it is also about the people who are doing the work, the people who are helping us all get from place to place and operating these transit systems. I wonder, is there something that can be done to protect those people in this moment where climate change is making life on planet Earth hotter for all of us?

[Mikhail Chester]

We need to make sure that we have the latest knowledge in science to be able to protect them for Example, how long is it safe for them to be outside in heat waves relative to how long do they need to come into air conditioning for reprieve? Secondly, arming them with the appropriate knowledge of how they should respond to these disasters and threats becomes really important.

[Juana Summers]

That's Mikhail Chester, engineering professor at Arizona State University. Thank you so much.

[Mikhail Chester]

Thank you very much.

[Juana Summers]

So those were some big picture adaptations to more intense heat, but what can you personally do to get cool and stay cool? Well, for some ideas, my co host Elsa Chang talked with Julia Simon from NPR's Climate Desk.

[Elsa Chang]

Okay, so with temperatures in the upper 90s and even triple digits in some places, it can be really hard to stay cool, even with air conditioning inside. So what can we do to keep temperatures low while inside? You think so?

[Julia Simon]

Yeah. So first, if your lines aren't closed, close them. Close those curtains. Don't let the heat of the sun get inside. If you have fans and aren't running them, turn those fans on, ideally right next to you. This is a time to make a place safe salad, not to start baking. Ideally you're not turning on your stove right now. Definitely not. And also get a wet washcloth. Try a tip my grandmother used in the 1920s. Sleep with a wet sheet.

[Mikhail Chester]

Yes.

[Julia Simon]

Uh huh.

[Elsa Chang]

I've totally done that.

[Julia Simon]

Oh, I love it. Bonus points if you have a wet sheet and a fan.

[Elsa Chang]

Evaporation, cooling.

[Juana Summers]

Okay.

[Elsa Chang]

Well I do understand that the majority of American homes have some sort of air conditioning, but it seems like people are nervous about stressing out their ACs in this heat. So any tips there?

[Julia Simon]

Yes. I spoke to Nate Adams in West Virginia about this.

[Juana Summers]

I'm often known as Nate the House Whisperer for taking existing homes and making them much nicer places to live.

[Julia Simon]

You'll hear a lot about setting your AC at this exact temperature compared to the outside air. The reality is every house is different. There's no one answer. Adam says in this crazy heat wave.

[Juana Summers]

Do your best to set it where it's comfortable.

[Julia Simon]

He also says to definitely make sure your filter is clean.

[Elsa Chang]

Okay, so let's talk about some long term solutions here. Because heat waves, I mean, they've just become part of summer life due to global warming. Right. What are some longer term solutions for people's homes?

[Julia Simon]

Longer term? Adam says think about better sealing up your house. Make sure that hot air outside isn't coming in when you don't want it to. He says oftentimes the root cause of.

[Juana Summers]

A lot of discomfort is a house that is leaky. You've got too many air Leaks coming through. So one of the key things to look at is where you can seal up the house.

[Julia Simon]

Adam says look at what he calls the bowels of the house for leaks. The attic, the basement. You can also think about having shades on the outside of the house so the heat doesn't come in with the.

[Elsa Chang]

Sunlight like sunglasses for the house. Okay.

[Juana Summers]

All right.

[Elsa Chang]

We're talking about staying cool inside, but what are like ways you can stay cool outside?

[Julia Simon]

Every year, heat waves send people to the emergency room for heat stroke. So obviously try your best to stay inside if you have to go in. If you have to go outside, you should be hydrating. Drink more water than you think you need. Wear a hat. There is a way that the military cools down fast. It involves submerging your arms up to the elbow in ice cold water. But really try to stay inside in dangerous heat like this.

[Elsa Chang]

Right. Okay. Well, I know we talk about this all the time. Heat records are being broken more frequently and we keep hearing, of course, that is connected to climate change. Julia, just remind us, what is that connection?

[Julia Simon]

Scientists say the most intense heat waves would not be possible without human caused global warming. Last year was the world's hottest year on record. Climate researchers say global warming isn't a whodunit mystery. The primary driver is humans burning planet heating fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal. Scientists say we already have scalable solutions that can cut climate pollution like wind and solar energy combined with large battery systems.

[Juana Summers]

Julia Simon from NPR's Climate Desk. She was talking with my co host Elsa Chang. This episode was produced by Jeffrey Pierre, Mia Venkat and Connor Donovan. It was edited by 10 Beat Armies, Sadie Babbitts, Neela Banerjee and Courtney Dorning. And that preschool reporting you heard at the top of this piece came from NPR's Adam Byrne. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's consider this from NPR. I'm Juana Summers.

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