Editorial | Heatwave preparedness

Christopher Tufton warned Jamaicans, especially those who have to spend time outdoors, to protect themselves against the hot summer temperatures that have gripped the island.

But neither Dr Tufton nor the Government has gone far enough on this matter. For while Jamaica, unlike much of the rest of the world, may not, definitionally, be experiencing rolling heatwaves, large swathes of the population, especially the elderly, are distressed by this summer’s scorching heat.

The administration, as we urged previously, should take pre-emptive action before what is now a problem becomes a crisis. Indeed, Jamaica has to begin to plan for heatwaves and high temperatures the same way it prepares for storms and other catastrophes.

Notwithstanding any natural phenomenon that may contribute to the problem, it is beyond debate that the Earth is in the grip of human-induced heating, with potentially existential consequences.

Indeed, 2022 was, on average, the hottest year since climate records have been kept. That dubious record is on track to be overtaken in 2023.

HOTTEST

This past June was the hottest June on record. The same is set to happen with respect to July, which has already recorded – on July 3 – the world’s average hottest temperature ever: 17.18 degrees Celsius. The previous record was 16.92 degrees Celsius, in August 2016.

Jamaica, on the face of it, has, so far, escaped the worst, or prolonged, effects of the scorching summer, which, globally, has cost thousands of lives in India. Indeed, another major heatwave crisis has just occurred in southern Europe, the Mediterranean, and North Africa.

While there have been no publicly reported heat-related deaths or critical medical emergencies in Jamaica, it does not mean that the island has not been, or is not being, affected by the brutish heat. Between June and earlier this month, some parts of the island had already recorded six above-average hot days, and the island’s meteorologists predict that there will be 15 or 20 such days by the end of August.

In other words, there is time for things to worsen. Which is why we urge Jamaicans to take seriously Minister Tufton’s advice that they protect themselves from the heat.

“A heatwave is potentially fatal, and you don’t realise it until you are out,” Dr Tufton said in Parliament recently. “So we would advise persons who are working outdoors to take the necessary precautions by managing your exposure to recognising the potential threat that this heatwave represents.”

We agree that people have to take responsibility for their health. Keeping hydrated and avoiding overexertion are among the basic and effective responses to the high temperatures.

VULNERABLE GROUPS

However, there are some vulnerable groups for which these seemingly simple undertakings are not so simple and who the Government has a responsibility to help. There are also regulatory obligations that fall to the State, whose fulfilment is especially critical in the current situation.

For instance, as this newspaper noted at the onset of the earlier round of heatwaves, there appears to be no formal alert mechanism to warn the country of potentially dangerous rises in temperatures and what ought to be done in these situations. High temperatures and heatwaves, and warnings thereof, ought to be treated in the same way as the disaster management and mitigation officials approach storms and likely flooding. In this case, heatwaves are potentially immediate health emergencies, to which Dr Tufton’s ministry has to be prepared to respond.

One of the revelations of the COVID-19 pandemic was the isolation – physical and psychological – as well as marginal circumstances in which many elderly Jamaicans live. They often lack basic amenities and social support.

In response to this situation, the health ministry, during the pandemic, announced a community-based mental health/service support corps for older people. It is not clear if this project was sustained. No one speaks about it. However, such a support system would be as relevant now as it was in the pandemic.

Additionally, the labour ministry’s occupational health and safety unit has to adjust its mandate to the evolving circumstances. Policing the workplace in the context of global warming and seasonal heatwaves, especially for people whose jobs are outdoors, may not have been a priority or even considered necessary in the past. That has to change.

Indeed, as we observed in these columns a fortnight ago: “Heatwaves are expected to be more intense, increase in frequency, and last longer in the years ahead. We live in the tropics. Heatwave planning cannot be shoved aside.”