Temperatures above 50C used to be a rarity confined to two or three global hotspots, but the World Meteorological Organization noted that at least 10 countries have reported this level of searing heat in the past year: the US, Mexico, Morocco, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iran, Pakistan, India and China.

In Iran, the heat index – a measure that also includes humidity – has come perilously close to 60C, far above the level considered safe for humans.

Heatwaves are now commonplace elsewhere, killing the most vulnerable, worsening inequality and threatening the wellbeing of future generations. Unicef calculates a quarter of the world’s children are already exposed to frequent heatwaves, and this will rise to almost 100% by mid-century.

  • @lath
    link
    123 days ago

    I’m of the belief that we’re all a little disturbed in some way, only that most people prefer the comfort of boring over the satisfaction of disturbing. And the most boring of people are simply better at hiding their quirks.

    • KillingTimeItself
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      fedilink
      English
      223 days ago

      yeah, i think similarly, though i think there is a spectrum of disturbedness, where at a certain point, your disturbedness outclasses your normalcy and you simply no longer fit in with normal people enough to daylight as a normal person.

      Most normal people are a little disturbed, but not significantly enough to experience life outside of that range, whatever it is.

      Whereas most disturbed people are somewhere outside of that range, and as a result, usually have some sort of “disturbance radar” which let’s them identify people who they should, and shouldn’t be following.

      It’s certainly an interesting experience. It’s as if there’s a “socially normal” bubble, and then people who exist outside of that are kind of just, on their own. It’s like a latch circuit. It’s unlatched until it reaches the threshold where it latches, and once that threshold is reached, it’s pretty much stuck there until forcibly unlatched.