AIBU to be fed up with the heatwave hysteria?

[Freshtona]

I'm getting a bit sick of the heat hysteria.

Yes it's going to be very hot for the next few days. So stay hydrated and out of the sun. Be sensible, take precautions. It's not difficult.

Millions of people around the world endure hot temperatures and yes it's uncomfortable for these few days but the crap British weather will be back soon, fear not.

People are acting quite over the top about it imo.

As has been explained on MN steel track can get up to 20 degrees hotter than the ambient temperature. It expands which impacts the sensors keeping trains a safe distance apart.

Also overhead lines can sag which is why speed restrictions are introduced.

I think that a lot of the reason people (with half a brain) don't like it is because it is a reminder that the climate is changing. In 1976 people just saw it as a hot summer and as most people couldn't afford to go abroad for holidays they were quite pleased about it in a lot of ways.

I know some see air con as the answer, but doesn't air con contribute to climate change - isn't it basically refrigeration? Happy to be corrected on this.

You are absolutely CORRECT. The suggestion by the fool above that the answer is simply to install AC would just speed up the whole problem. Like trying to put out a fire by spraying petrol on it - its wet after all isn't it! 🙄

I’m so glad you’re able to cope so well with the heat! Many people can’t and a red weather warning is a danger to life even for fit and healthy people! There will be many extra deaths over the next few days, lets hope it’s non of your family or friends!!

And even if we sit in our air conditioned houses that’s not going to help the farmers. Extremes of climate do not help crops, animals etc

My dream is to get solar panels installed so the electricity generated can be used for air con.

It's the River Rhine valley. Long summer, stifling heat that builds up as air flow trapps it between 3 mountain ranges. No air con in schools in the 80s/ 90's and it's still not a regular thing. We used to cycle to the lake in the heat as teenagers, DC still do to this day.

And let's face it, people in the UK need to get used to it- climate change is real!

It’s not just the electricity used for air conditioning that impacts environment it gives off emissions that do too

Mate....I was being sarcastic 'OP moaning people are being hysterical - me saying - SWR are being hysterical'. Obviously the heat is a severe safety issue for them.

it was a week last month and a week again this month.
With love from,
The Red Alert Zone

(was it last month or earlier this month? very recently anyway, both spells lasting a week or more)

Ah! Sorry. Missed that! There have been a few posts complaining that train drivers refuse to work in heat.

I think the warnings are smart because you will still get some silly people who will push it too far and end up in A&E

Unfortunately whenever there are extremes of weather in the UK (rain, snow and ice) people lose their lives as our infrastructure and mindset is not geared up to deal with it.

Moving forward perhaps we need lots of info on the telly in the form of adverts to educate us as a population.

As for aircon, yes unfortunately it is not environmentally friendly. There are other thing you can do e.g. if you have a heat pump you can easily add on an extra to send cold water through your pipes and radiators, get ceiling fans, day curtains (full length shear net that keeps out the sun).

However, I don't see any other hot countries limiting people getting air-con, so once again I don't see why it falls to us again to save the planet.

I apologise for reposting this as I’ve already said it, but, globally, around half a million people each year die from heat related causes.

Well..good for you...?

Saying that its nothing to be worried about seems to very much an 'Im alright!' attitude. Sure, if you can stay hydrated, not go out in it and are healthy then it isnt a big concern.
But people will be having to work in overheated environments, elderly and infirm people will suffer....it will be a serious problem for alot of people. Also animals will be suffering both in farms and wildlife.

Also I know 2022 was hotter (40C) but it was also very dry. This heatwave comes with alot of humidity which can be serious health problem if you have any respiratory disorders.

There's 2 types of post at the moment.

#1 - I'm refusing to work because of the heat.
#2 - I'm furious because someone else is refusing to work because of the heat.

I'd be interested to see the Venn diagram of who has made these two types of post.

I kind of love a bit of heatwave hysteria. It feels kind of mad and British, like our usual weather fascination, on steroids.

For anyone interested, I've just had four air conditioning units fitted (3 in a small bungalow and 1 in my garage conversion). All four are currently on and the smart meter is reading 18p an hour.

It's about £1300 or £1400 per unit (depending on size of room) and it should be VAT free because they work as heaters too. I think gas is still cheaper for heating but I will be using it in the garage conversion as it's about a quarter of the price of an electric radiator.

I think we need to start seeing A/C as necessary, just as we do with heating. Trouble is, it would cost the government billions to fit it in all public buildings so I don't suppose they're very keen.

It's not ideal and I can assure you I do not feel smug - more an underlying sense of existential terror. A PP said we should move to the west coast of Scotland. You do realise that the temperatures are not going to stay like this? Of course, if the AMOC collapses they will go in the opposite direction...

That signifies a far greater problem. No one believes there’s a problem unless and until they, personally, notice that and are inconvenienced. And even then you only get posts like this one, in the summer.

No wonder we’re fucked.

I wouldn’t mind about the human race if it were just us, but we’ve taken down so many other species with us, already.

Possibly, but they will also be with parents on a 1:1 basis who can monitor them for signs of heat stroke, remind them to drink, sit in front of a fan. That doesn’t and can’t happen at a school.

I live in Brisbane, sub tropical Brisbane. Guess what happens when we get heatwaves of 40 degrees? There's an advisory to stay indoors with air conditioning and if you don't have air con to go to a public library or a shopping mall to stay cool. Schools don't usually close because unlike my time at school they have air conditioning.

And we have the same train issues when the tracks melt or warp.

I had this discussion with DH yesterday. He said if we all had air-conditioning we are adding to the problem. I said if he went abroad for a holiday he would expect air conditioning and would be moaning if he didn't have it. He can't have it both ways.

Exactly.

I went to Manila years ago where it was hot and humid as hell.

Everybloodywhere I went was air conditioned, local people I saw going to work in the mornings often had damp fabric draped over their heads and there were health warnings.

And yes, a lot of the locals who didn't have air con living in poverty get ill and some die even though 'used to it'.

The idea that everyone in hot countries just gets on with it in extreme heat and it isn't a problem is a fallacy. What happens is that in a lot of the poorer countries, heat-related deaths just aren't monitored or counted and there are organisations in many of those countries trying to address that.

Most countries have AC so why not join them.
No way am I going through the heat wave again like i did before.
Ive already been called smug this morning online lol but at least im not boiling.