As temperatures rise, Londoners create more heat

[“There’s an idling bylaw all right, but because it’s so hot out there, all vehicles are exempt.” O. Katolyk, manager of bylaw enforcement, as reported in today’s London Free Press.]

The heat is on in London. It will likely only get hotter tomorrow, and (on average) year by year.

London is already a “heat island”, a low, wide city several degrees hotter than surrounding (and shrinking) farmland and forests, that was built in sprawling and extravagant fashion when fossil fuels were cheap.

Acres of concrete, metal, brick and glass atop our hard-baked landscape and endless miles of tarmac to accommodate a growing population of fossil-fuel powered vehicles - in all shapes and sizes - guarantee our urban setting will never cool off and bring much comfort during hot weather. Unless we stay indoors. Unless we sit inside our air-conditioned cars while the motor is running.

Ahh. Air-conditioning. Don’t ya just love it? How do you spell r-e-l-i-e-f? With an A and a capital C, right?


["Fresh, cooler air, beside the Thames River": photos GH]

Unfortunately, in part because of our heavy reliance on air-conditioning units in businesses, homes, cars and trucks, it will only get hotter in the future, because in order to stay cool in homes or cars, we have to burn more fuel of some kind - and heat up the outdoors as a result.

We even have an idling bylaw that makes this possible when thermometers reach 28 degrees or more.

We have created for ourselves (and our city is surely not alone in this regard) what I call a Catch-44, something like a Catch-22 but twice as bad. To cool off inside, we create more heat outside, thanks to heat creation by hard-working A/C units, heat transfer and rising carbon emissions. As it gets hotter outside, we’ll stay inside more often - with the A/C on - and create even more heat outside. Most Londoners are surely aware we won't be able to escape the heat forever.

No doubt, many people need an A/C assist on very hot days. City officials are right to encourage “those seeking refuge from the heat to use one of the public pools, splash pads and cooling stations... (in) the city.” (pg 1, London Free Press)

Because of our growing dependence upon heat-producing A/C units, I predict more pools, splash pads and cooling stations will be required in the future. But if our city remains in a "tax cuts" or “no new taxes” frame of mind, providing more relief may pose a problem.


["As I recall, Hattie Cove on L. Superior was a cool spot."]

Are there inexpensive ways to cool off urban “heat islands” naturally?

Would a million new trees do the trick? Two million?

Would two more feet of water in the Thames River provide a bit more relief? Three feet?

Would more conservation methods work?

Would a mass exodus to the shores of Lake Superior be the best answer?

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I do like Lake Superior!

Please click here to read about a cool place to cool off inside Deforest City.

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