The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:
Summer is nearly here, and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that a lot of folks in Tucson — those who live here year-round — are a bit nervous about the upcoming months of triple-digit temperatures. Even if we think we’re tough, even if we like it hot.
Times have changed since 2023, when not just Arizona but the world clocked the hottest temperatures ever recorded, according to NASA. A NOAA spokesman told PBS Newshour in January that there is a “one in three chance that 2024 will beat” the 2023 record.
That’s not writ in hot stone. Climate scientists acknowledge that nature has a way of doing what she wants when she wants. Yet we also know that once nature hits a threshold — such as the planet did with soaring temperatures in 2023 — a new baseline for the future has been established.
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As NOAA meteorologist Barbara Boustead told PBS, “What a year like 2023 shows us about 2024 and beyond is that these extreme temperatures, this extreme condition of the planet, is no longer just in the range of what can happen. It is in the range of what has happened.”
Over the past decade, the Tucson-based Arizona chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR) has offered free two-to-three-hour, in-person or online, comprehensive workshops called Building Resilient Neighborhoods (BRN). BRN is specific to heat and addresses the frightening question, “What would you do if the power went out this summer?”
While the question is still a critical one, temperatures are gaining so much traction that even with the power on, relief can be difficult for some.
Earlier this year, PSR members Margo Newhouse and Mary Gresham led a group of South Tucson residents through the BRN program that includes “The Extreme Weather Challenge” workbook, information on needed supplies and how to identify and treat heat illnesses, plus time for attendees to share concerns.
The focus, while clearly on health, is also clearly on building community.
The only sure way to build a resilient neighborhood is to be a neighborhood that comes together in times of crisis. “It’s about connecting with your neighbors and being ready,” said Grisham.
Newhouse doesn’t mince words. “I want people to understand the seriousness of the situation, that if we’re not prepared, people will die.”
South Tucson is an incorporated city within a city with very few trees for cooling shade but a lot of concrete and asphalt. The latter create a formidable Urban Heat Island. According to University of Arizona expert on UHI, Ladd Keith, paved-over urban areas can be 15°F to 20°F warmer than areas with vegetation.
South Tucson is a “frontline” city in climate terms, due to its location and socioeconomic standing. Residents there are not as well equipped financially to afford remedies like insulating their homes or installing air-conditioners, if they even own homes or have the extra money to pay ever-increasing gas and electric bills.
South Tucson sits at the confluence of I-10 and I-19, where the 24-hour toxic pollution is exacerbated by heat. Equally disgusting and harmful is the insidious microplastic debris that synthetic rubber tires shed. Constantly.
As Tucson and Pima County prepare their defenses and budget the millions of dollars in funds coming from the Biden Administration to reduce carbon emissions, we in the community also have jobs to do.
One is to join with local government and our Ward offices to ensure that steps toward mitigation, adaptation and, ultimately, resilience are in the best interests of all residents.
The other is to nurture compassion and advocate for our neighbors in need.
“I don’t think enough people really realize the severity of problems that can arise with extreme heat,” says PSR Arizona director Dr. Barbara Warren, reiterating and emphasizing, “People can die.”
To learn more, visit Arizona.PSR.org.
Karen Peterson is a climate writer and climate communications specialist working with organizations including PSR.