In Phoenix, under fire from global warming

CLIMATE CHALLENGES 1/8 – In Arizona, the hottest city in the United States, temperature records are on the rise. While Phoenix has gained 2.3 degrees in 90 years, it is developing advanced techniques for living in extreme heat. And it works. But only in the most privileged areas. Reporting.

The center of Phoenix is like so many American metropolises: a scrupulous grid, similar to that of a school notebook, made of immense avenues lined with elephantine SUVs. Except for one architectural detail: hundreds of small shelters, pulled between buildings or mounted on pergolas. Awnings, awnings, shade sails and parasols offer a little respite to passers-by. It is mid-October and it is 33 degrees Celsius. Chilly compared to the 48 recorded in June. Phoenix, capital of Arizona, is the hottest city in the United States. The temperature of the asphalt in the open can rise up to 80 degrees. You know that joke of saying you could fry an egg in direct sunlight? It’s no joke here: A series of viral videos on the Tik-Tok social network show users cooking eggs, shrimp or sausage in a pan left on the sidewalk.

On the occasion of the COP 26 held in Glasgow, Telerama focuses all week on the challenges of climate change. By focusing more particularly on the challenges facing the younger generations: the modes of engagement and the adaptation strategies available to them. In a world where already, the consequences of global warming are tangible. ► Find all our articles here–

Phoenix, whose metropolitan area is nicknamed “the Valley of the Sun”, was built in the middle of the desert. An oasis of concrete and steel rising from the dust in the midst of saguaro cacti. Normal that we sweat in large drops. But the unbreathable peaks, increasingly long, intense and regular, were exceptional fifty years ago. In 2020, eighteen records were broken there. Like the maddening one hundred and forty-four days above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). This figure is expected to more than double by 2060, leading the American city to a climate equivalent to certain regions of the Arabian Peninsula. A direct consequence of human activity and urban expansion. The evolution of the night temperature is the most glaring proof of this: while the days have taken 2.3 degrees more in ninety years, the nights have warmed by 9.6 degrees, up to 34 , 5 degrees (2018 record). The manager ? Bitumen, which absorbs heat, then releases it after dark, warming the atmosphere in an infernal cycle.