20 July 2023
10.30am: Kawasaki, Japan
Shota Nagasaki, 30, a builder laying concrete
I’ve been doing this work for 12 years – since I left high school – and it’s got hotter even over that time. This year is kind of crazy. I mean, there are years that are not so hot, but over time the temperatures are rising.
I don’t live nearby the work site so I picked the truck from the company as usual and drove here; with the air conditioning on of course. But I don’t like to sit in the truck and cool down with it on at lunchtime like some guys do, it then just feels worse in the afternoon, the hottest part of the day.
Nearly everyone now wears these jackets with the fans built-in, they make a lot of difference. The jackets [which have two battery-operated fans usually around the lower back] have got better over the four or five years I’ve been using them, which is good as the heat is increasing too. It’s a nightmare if you forget to bring it.
On days when I can’t work in the shade, I also wear a big straw hat, like Luffy from One Piece [a hugely popular manga and anime].
Every day I’ll drink about three litres of water that I bring in a big canteen, then another three 500ml bottles of drinks from vending machines, sports drinks and fizzy drinks, usually.
I eat the same stuff when it’s hot though, ramen a lot of the time.
We take this break now at about 10, then lunchtime, then again at three in the afternoon. Other than, it’s work straight through from 8am to 5pm. You can’t take a break just because it’s hot.
It’s global warming pushing up the temperature. In another 10 years, I guess it’s going to be worse. You need to use air-conditioning but it’s a vicious cycle, the more air-con, the more energy we use, that plus vehicle emissions means more global warming.
In the future we might need to be using these jackets with fans 24/7.
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3pm: Beijing, China
Qing, 40, assistant to a film director
Today in Beijing it’s nearly 40 degrees, again. I’m working from home. I mostly stay indoors when it’s this hot. I do not use air-conditioning because my constitution is one that fears the cold. I’m worried I’ll catch a cold from the air-conditioning, or get a headache. I don’t use any hand held fans either. I just try and concentrate on other things to distract myself from the heat.
In about an hour, I’ll go for a run, probably a 5km in the park near my home. I run in the afternoons because that’s the hottest part of the day. It’s the best way to cool down. I run two or three times a week, then after sweating I take a shower. But if someone wants to try this method they should be in good shape first, and drink plenty of water.
For breakfast I made potato pancakes, and for lunch I had chicken that I cooked in the air fryer. I wanted to eat chicken because the protein will be good before my run. But in general I don’t have a regular diet, I just eat whatever I have to hand.
The most important thing in this weather is to drink plenty of water. Today I had a tea made from frozen lychees and dried orchid flowers. I put the frozen lychees into hot water, it’s a bit of a contrast, but I can’t have the iced fruit directly.
I always drink plain boiled water. I cannot bear to drink iced water. Perhaps when you drink it, you feel a short-term relief, but later on I find it’s uncomfortable for my stomach. In this way, I’m a bit like an old man.
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3.45pm: Gaza City, Gaza
Karim Shehab, 24, business owner
I have been running a vape shop in Gaza City for almost two years, but since the summer started, working in the shop has been difficult. I live with my four brothers, three sisters and parents. We have no privacy, as sometimes we all sleep in the same room that has an air conditioner.
Today, I was unlucky with the electricity. It was cut off all night so I was mostly on the rooftop till early morning. When I came to the store at noon, with the temperature 34 degrees, the air conditioner was working, but the power went off after one hour and now I’m depending on a battery-powered fan.
Summer started early this year and it’s hotter than usual. Gaza’s issues are double that of other places that witness high temperatures, because there have been continuous power outages since 2006 [after Israel unilaterally withdrew from the area], and during peak times in summer and winter, the hours of outages increase. The electricity problem has increased this summer, with barely six hours per day.
In the morning I wake up to find myself drenched in sweat. If the electricity is cut off and the air conditioner is not working, I run to the bathroom to take a shower.
I spend my day searching for electricity, going between my shop, my house, friends’ houses and public places, until late at night. We are a coastal city, so it is still very humid at night. I call around to find out where there is air conditioning I can use. I often sleep in different places, depending on the temperature and the availability of electricity.
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12.25pm: Palermo, Italy
Ilaria Messina, 22, bartender
The truth is that this Thursday, like the other days since this heatwave started, once I arrive at the bar I can’t wait for my shift to end. It’s very tough. Being a bartender in Palermo means moving constantly, serving dozens of espresso and cappuccino at the tables, under the sun. I arrived at work this morning at 8am and will finish my shift at 4pm. Then I have to walk for 20 minutes under the scorching afternoon sun to get home.
Try to imagine: twenty minutes under this sun, in this heat, with over 43 degrees. When I open the door of my apartment I’m totally devastated. The only relief is the AC and a fan. There is no other alternative against this heat. This is a different heat compared to the other summers. It’s something different. It’s a stifling heat, but also humid. When we are at work, we drink several litres of water and fruit drinks.
The world is changing. This heatwave can only be the result of the climate crisis. I’ve been doing this job for several years and I can tell you that every year, every summer, it gets harder and harder. And you think that because we are in Palermo at least we can enjoy the water. No, I can no longer enjoy the sea. It’s too hot there too.
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4pm: Phoenix, Arizona
Ash Ponder, photographer
It is about 119F (48C). I am refuelling gas so I have to be standing outside. It is so intensely terrible. I am in the shade but when I am in the sun I can feel the water sublimating out of my skin.
I had to file early so I got up at 4am. I didn’t have to make photos this morning so I was able to work on my computer. I thought about going to exercise but it was too hot.
I went out at about 10am. Then it wasn’t that bad – probably about 105F or so. Right now it is almost 120F and it feels miserable. Anytime you open the door you are immediately blasted with a gust of furnace air, it feels so intense. After that though, it is a low-grade constant cooking feeling.
I drink a lot of water – 2 litres – before I leave the house and take some electrolyte powder mixed in with a little more water just to try to keep electrolyte levels going stable. I will be out probably until sundown.
I am a little nervous because I have to do some hiking as part of this afternoon’s assignment and I know that injuries happen during hiking when you are feeling tired. I feel tired, so I am going to take it very slow.
It is not even like kids are cracking open fire hydrants and playing in the water. The pavement is too hot to even stand in front of the fire hydrant to crack it open. There are none of the joys of summer you might have seen in days gone by.
Frankly, I feel like I have had low-grade heat exhaustion for the past 20 days or so.
You get a tunnel vision sense, your vision narrows, the floaties in your eyes suddenly have more contrast and your thinking isn’t clear any more. If you know what you’re feeling, if someone has told you that these are the feelings of heat exhaustion, you can keep an eye out for it. But it is so subtle that it is hard to notice. It still sneaks up on me.
It does feel like today was another record-breaking day. I genuinely don’t know how much more of this I can take.
