A severe heatwave is ongoing in Europe. Temperature records broken in France, Switzerland, Germany and Spain.
On 11 July 2023, the Land Surface Temperature (LST) in some areas of Extremadura (Spain) exceeded 60°C, as highlighted in this data visualisation derived from measurements from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 Sea and Land Surface Temperature Radiometer (SLSTR) instrument. The ongoing heatwave in Spain this week is resulting in a total of 13 autonomous communities, being at extreme risk (red alert), significant risk (orange alert), and risk (yellow alert) due to maximum temperatures that, in some cases, will exceed 40°C and reach a maximum of 43°C.
For reference, “in areas where vegetation is dense, the land surface temperature never rises above 35°C. The hottest land surface temperatures on Earth are in plant-free desert landscapes.”
Where does ‘unethical’ start? I used to translate marketing copy and I was miserable because it felt so dishonest. Now I translated user manuals instead, but I’m still embedded in the same consumerist system. It’s difficult. I would like to grow edible mushrooms instead but need to buy land for that, so I keep feeding the bullshit industry in the meantime. Or I would prefer to translate only for worker owned companies, but there are not enough of those.
I think that it’s really up to ourselves to figure out our own code of ethics and how to apply them. It takes time and effort to slowly refine them. We will be forced to violate our standards against more than we like, but all that matters is we give it an honest go. I don’t expect people to hurt themselves trying too much, just as long as we try a bit.
As for worker coops or good companies, the real issue is that not enough people are aware or ready to band together and try to start one. I have no real idea how to do it properly and aren’t in a position to really try. If you could genie wish for people like you that are interested to be obviously visible, you might be surprised about how many would be willing to help near you.
Sometimes just finding locals to vent to can start something big or at least help you feel better about it.
I didn’t mention it before, but, thank you for doing the right thing. Most people I know wouldn’t even attempt to and would use excuses like “I’m one person my actions mean nothing”(which I tend to hear in deafening unison by many people), or I don’t know how to help while simultaneously not trying to figure out how to help.