Boiling point: in Tucson, not everyone is equal in the face of heat Environment As summers get mor

As summers get more intense, people who work outdoors, those on a low income and the elderly face imminent peril

To live in Tucson is to be exposed. The Arizona city unfolds beneath four mountain ranges and a gaping sky, welcoming relentless sunlight. Anything here can be sun-bleached – billboards, garden hoses, family photos near windows, laundry left out to dry. Most of the year it’s a dry heat, and sweat evaporates off skin faster than it’s produced.

Summertime is different. In monsoon season, heat and humidity steadily increase until a storm breaks. There is no other release. Heat cannot exit from the body, creating a claustrophobic feeling inside the skin. Sweat becomes a vital sign – its absence indicates heatstroke.

Not all Tucsonans stand equal in the face of heat. If you’re lucky enough to have an office job and a robust air conditioning system, your discomfort will be limited to the walk through a parking lot. But as summers get more intense, people who work outdoors, those on a low income and the elderly face imminent peril.

John Soland, a salesman at a cooler parts store, sees people come in for parts and for shelter. “We had a guy that passed away under a tree in front of Walgreens from the heat just a couple weeks ago,” he says. “I saw him every day. I’d hand him cups of water. He just laid down and passed away.”

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/31/tucson-heat-inequality-summer