Prachi Joshi

Yes, 43°C in India feels different to 43°C in Europe. Allow me to explain. 1. Europe is much more north on the planet, compared to the tropical location of India. For example, Paris is even north of Toronto in Canada. In India, the sun hits from the top. In Europe, it hits at an angle, and significantly longer summer days can yield strong solar loads through the course of a day. So the sun feels different. 2. India’s air pollution (suspended particulate matter) dulls the sun a bit. The sun feels sharper in Europe due to the clear skies, while pollution in India scatters and dissipates heat differently. 3. The recent heat waves in Europe have been accompanied with very low or zero winds. The leaves on trees don’t have a hint of movement. So it feels suffocating in a different way. In India, the warm winds and humidity might have different effects. 4. Europe has historically been cooler, so its buildings have been designed to remain warm in winters, while Indian buildings are designed to remain cool in summers. For example, stone or tiled floors in India dissipate heat quickly in summers, but also mean that you can’t walk bare feet in winters. Meanwhile European households might have wooden floors that don’t feel cool in the summers. Some European cities also have black roofs as a norm, which trap heat. 5. Much of Europe has had very limited number of warm days through history, so air conditioning is not a norm. Why would households invest in ACs when it crosses 25°C (minimum) for less than 7 days a year? New York has 4-5x more frequent warm days than Paris, for example. But that’s now changing. As it gets warmer, the case for ACs is obvious. 6. Much of Europe values aesthetics and public spaces a lot. So buildings associations oppose ugly heat-blowing external AC units facing the streets. This is why European cities are the most beautiful and walkable on the planet. Would you sit down to have wine and pasta on a street side cafe if an ugly AC unit was blowing hot air onto you? But of course, it’s too hot during heat waves now, so buildings associations will be forced to relent and change their rules. (You can also find some examples of some activists or institutions opposing ACs for climate change reasons, but I think that has a much smaller impact on decisions than actual building rules). But the ultimate reality is this: as heat waves get hotter and longer, ACs will become the norm in Europe as well. Most offices and shopping centres are already air conditioned. Households are increasingly purchasing them too. And the other reality is that Indians suffer a lot from heat waves too, even at 43°C. We just don’t report human interest stories the same way. Many don’t have ACs, live under tin roofs, and are hit by a constant stream of hot AC exhaust air from neighbours. We all need to prepare better for our respective heat waves.