If you judged by the tabloids, you’d think that a heat wave was fun. Pictures show people sunbathing in the park or relaxing at the beach, and headlines draw comparisons with tropical paradises: “UK warmer than parts of the Maldives.” One 2021 study showed how climate change was almost entirely absent from newspaper coverage of the 2018 heat wave. But this is dangerous — and only going to get worse.
What’s particularly concerning is the rise of dangerous humid-heat temperatures, as explored by David Fickling and Ruth Pollard in this feature. It was thought that the fatal 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) wet-bulb threshold — the point at which the human body can’t cool itself down and even healthy people with unlimited shade and water will die of heatstroke — almost never occurred in the current climate. But as a 2020 study (and the map below) reveals, humid heat above 35 degrees C has already been happening — from the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea to Pakistan, India, Australia, Venezuela and both Mexican coasts. Wet-bulb temperatures above 31 degrees C have turned up in dozens of places across tropical South and Southeast Asia, China, West Africa, southern Europe, and the Americas, extending to the suburbs of New York and Naples, Italy.
Writing this from an air-conditioned office, it’s easy to forget that there’s no escape from the heat for some. Outdoor workers, for example, are particularly at risk of heat-related illnesses. This map shows how many workdays per year have been unsafe historically due to the combination of temperature and humidity exceeding 100 degrees F.
And here’s how many workdays might be at risk, and where, in 2050, if no action was taken on climate change:
Only two states have permanent, enforceable heat-protection standards for outdoor workers: California and Washington. That means most are unprotected, including those in Texas and Florida, where the heat is most extreme.
Meanwhile, in the UK and other typically temperate parts of Europe, even being inside your own home might not be enough to escape dangerously high temperatures. Homes in these regions are designed to keep the heat in during winter and don’t come with air conditioning. In the UK, a fifth of all homes are said to overheat in the summer, meaning indoor temperatures exceed 28 degrees C (82.4 degrees F) more than 1% of the time the space is occupied, or 26 degrees C (78.8 degrees F) in bedrooms.
Europe’s heat wave is making its energy crisis even more critical. As households and businesses turn on their air conditioners, electricity demand has jumped and wholesale power prices have surged. But what’s worse than the heat wave is the little-discussed drought spreading from Germany to Portugal. Javier Blas explains that the lack of rain is making Europe even more reliant on Russian gas by reducing hydropower generation, interrupting the flow of fuel along the Rhine to Germany’s coal-fired power stations and making it harder to cool nuclear plants.
For a visual on the drought, check out the levels on the Rhine right now. During July, it typically flows through the town of Kaub at a depth of about 2.5 meters (8.2 feet). Right now, it’s only 89 centimeters (35 inches) deep.
If you’re enjoying the sunshine this weekend, remember to take the heat seriously. Drink plenty of water, seek shade, wear sunscreen. Some climate activists have suggested that we name our heat waves in a nudge to get people to take proper precautions. Would it work? Stephen Carter is skeptical. We don’t, for example, know much about what naming hurricanes does practically. What we do know is a little concerning: A 2014 paper found that hurricanes with “feminine” names result in greater damage than those with “masculine” names. Why? The authors suggest that those in the storm’s path take fewer precautions because they expect feminine-named storms to be less severe.
• Inside Celsius: how one of crypto’s biggest lenders ground to a halt Former employees and internal documents suggest a reckless pursuit of high returns put the company in a poor position to ride out this year’s market turbulence (Financial Times) see alsoCrypto collapse: 3AC, Voyager, Celsius, and other DeFi casualties: All Bankman-Fried can do is buy time. The entire cryptosystem is imploding. People are finally realizing that most of the money they thought they had in crypto was imaginary. You didn’t lose money in the crash — you lost your money when you bought crypto. (Amy Castor)
If you can't make it to the Valley of Mexico, you can duplicate the experience at home with the aid of cook books from the inimitable Diana Kennedy, the British cookery writer, now 99, who has won the Order of the Aztec Eagle for her tireless work colleting traditional Mexican recipes. So much better than Tex-Mex. Her classic is probably The Art of Mexican Cooking.
IN THE BERKSHIRES NORTH ADAMS | W. STOCKBRIDGE | CUMMINGTON SUMMER 2022
Ferrin Contemporary SUMMER IN THE BERKSHIRES at the gallery | in museums | outdoor sculpture SERGEI ISUPOV PAST & PRESENT | EARTH & SKY | MISS COMET North Adams | West Stockbridge | Cummington
Internationally renowned artist Sergei Isupovhas had a busy, creative six months with and new work on view throughout the Berkshires.
The fire sculpture performance at TurnPark Art Spacewas a huge success, and the outpouring of interest prompted us to extend his solo show PAST & PRESENTat Ferrin Contemporary. The EARTH & SKYsculpture is on view at TurnPark Art Spacein the outdoor sculpture park along with a beautiful solo exhibition, Proximal Dualityin the airy gallery through October.
MISS COMET, is the first mosaic public sculpture by Sergei Isupov and Kadri Parnametsand one of 9 sculptures on view in REFLECTIONS on Main Street in Cummington, the tiny Hilltown village on the eastern edge of the Berkshires where they live and work. Made from ceramic shards, donated by the community, found in pottters' shard piles and "mudsharked" from the river that runs behind his studio, the 8' upside down head is on view in front of Project Art, where Isupov's studio and gallery is open to visitors by appointment.
Above: Sergei Isupov and Past & Present, a wall installation of head sculptures presented on a painted collage of Greek text - photo John Polak.
On June 11, TurnPark Art Space hosted Sergei Isupov and master kiln builder Andres Allik for a truly unique spectacle: the first petal kiln firing in New England. To build Earth&Fire Isupov used 800 lbs of clay to build a nine foot sculpture that was revealed at peak temperature. WATCH the 2 minute time lapse video above for a glimpse at this incredible project and learn more HERE.
In our 2021 exhibition MELTING POINT, co-curated by Katya Heller and Leslie Ferrin, Bobby Silverman featured a new series of works that paired vessels and tiles. Wildly successful and energized by the response, he returned to his New York studio with the freedom to experiment and explore with stunning results. During the summer of 2022, we are pleased to present selected works at our two galleries in North Adams and New York.
Writing about his process, he explains"I began adding other materials to the mix including cast resin, glass, chrome, and automotive paint. These additional materials possess their own specific properties that complement and illuminate ceramic surfaces. This approach allows me to investigate the idiosyncratic nature of ceramic materials and its phenomenological properties such as luminosity, translucency, gravity, and reflection." - Bobby Silverman
PREVIEW NIGHT & OPEN STUDIOS BUILDING 13 | MASS MoCA Thursday, July 14, 5–7 pm
Ferrin Contemporary Preview OUR AMERICA/WHOSE AMERICA? group exhibition featuring contemporary artists responding to racial stereotypes found in historic, commercial ceramics.
Landmark exhibition examining the role of published images in shaping attitudes toward race and culture featuring contemporary works by Elizabeth Alexander, Garth Johnson, Paul Scottand objects from the Ferrin Contemporary collection of souvenirs, transferware and figurines.
Norman Rockwell Museum, Stockbridge, MA On view through October 30 Open daily, closed Wednesdays
Above: Elizabeth Alexander,A Mightier Work is Ahead: Jackson at Antietam #2, altered plate from the 'Jackson and Lee: Legends in Gray' collection of commemorative plates, 2022.
Breach: Logbook 20/Nebulous Form & Relation: Contemporary Native Ceramics This Land: American Engagement with the Natural World Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, NH on view through July 23
Breech: Logbook 22 Picture Gallery at the Saint-Gaudens National Historical Park, Cornish, NH on view through July 12
KUKULI VELARDE: CORPUS Halsey Institute of Contemporary Art, College of Charleston School of the Arts, Charleston, SC on view through July 16
