Though worldwide July 2024 could have broken all records, in Warsaw, despite the prolonged heat wave, it was not the warmest since records began, just the second-warmest. Despite being more than 2 Celsius degrees warmer than 1991-2020 average, with mean temperature of +22.1C it ranked beyond July 2006 (+23.5C), but ahead of Julies in: 1994 (+22.0C), 2021 (+21.9C), 2010 (+21.9C), 2018 (+21.4C) and 2014 (+21.4C).
Some stats typical for winter timelines:
- month-time high: +35.3C on 10 July 2024,
- month-time low: +12.0C on 31 July 2024,
- the warmest day: 10 July 2024 - mean temperature of +28.0C, vs. all-time record of +29.2C set on 8 August 2015,
- the coldest day: 3 July 2024 - mean temperature of +17.2C, mere 2.5 Celsius degrees below long-term average for the entire month,
- number of days with maximum temperature above +30C: 9 (in the second half of the 20th century number of such days over an entire summer stood at 5),
- number of days with maximum temperature above +25C: 25.
The only record broken in the capital of Poland was of the highest night-time low ever. On 11 July temperature did not decline below +23.4C, vs. previous record of +22.2C set on 9 August 2015. While in Wisła, on 28 July I experienced another tropical night, with a low of +25C. Had an awfully shallow sleep then...
Frequency and duration of heat waves and accompanying violent thunderstorms clearly signals the anthropogenic global warming is accelerating. Idiots will tell you heat record for Poland was set in 1921 (behind all doubt it will be beaten within a decade). I will remind the recent cooler-than-average summer in Poland was in 1993.
Mankind's activity makes things worse, not only by dint of general CO2 emissions. The very methods of combating the heat only intensify it. Air conditioning is becoming prevalent. The reason why A/C efficiently cools air down is that it blows out warm air outside an interior. City centres full of office buildings are hotter not just because paved areas and edifices absorb heat. They also get large portion of hot air blown out by air conditioners.
If you wish to find out more about the mechanics of this viscious circle, I recommend reading an excellent article on oko.press website (no paywall).
The article mentions a solution considered by Vienna authorities to pump cooled water from Danube river into the city's heating system pipes. I lack knowledge to evaluate energy efficiency of such solution, but it impresses me as an alternative to energy-consuming A/C.
It seems solar panels are the best fix for the heat, as their output is the highest when sun shines intensely and the need for cooling interiors is the highest. Though the electricity is green (if you leave out the entire life cycle of a PV installation), air-conditioning fuelled by sun energy still pushes heat outside (meaning you are better off at the expense of those not so fortunate).
Despite being aware of negative side effects of using air-conditioning, I blissfully take shelter from the heat in the cool office (where A/C would have been turned on anyway, so my contribution to heat blow-out is marginal). To get there I ride the underground and grumble about mayor Trzaskowski not ordering air-conditioned rolling stock.
While I will withstand the heat as long as it is not deadly, I fear of my parents' (mum aged 74, dad just turned 75) health. Heatwaves will be taking some burden off pension systems. In Poland mortality seasonality so far reached its low in summers (between 6,000 and 7,000 deaths weekly) and highs in winter (around 8,000 deaths weekly). Albeit spikes caused by heat waves were visible, they did not reshape the overall picture. As summer gets hotter, this is sadly likely to change.
Air-conditiong will become prevalent in our homes in near future if we are to avoid partial withdrawal from normal functioning in summer months. In spite of being familiar with its negative side effects, I will not shun it when furnishing my next dwelling, yet will do my best to minimise the environmental impact of keeping my place cool.
Off to Wisła again on Friday. The next post in three weeks.
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