Reporting During a Heat Wave
Walking down Gitschiner Strasse in Kreuzberg I noticed a large crowd of people waiting outside. A concert, maybe. But as I spotted towels, floaties, and beach balls, I realized they were waiting to get into a public swimming pool.
And for good reason. A heat wave has struck western Europe, and temperatures in Berlin reached a high of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit last Wednesday then 104 degrees on Sunday, setting nationwide record for June.
Keeping it Cool
Like the pool-goers I stumbled upon in Kreuzberg, I had to figure out how to cool off in a city that is underprepared for the heat. While most people in the U.S. can blast their air conditioning in the summer, it is a rarity in Europe, where neither the subway trains, nor the cafes, restaurants and hotels are air conditioned. (Europeans visiting the U.S. in the summertime often ask, “Why are your buildings so cold?”)
So, people find other ways to beat the heat. Many Berliners cool off in the water at public pools and lakes, or they take refuge in air-conditioned movie theaters and a few malls and department stores. Restaurant-goers choose breezy outdoor seating over indoors. One man in Brandenburg, the state surrounding Berlin, was caught by police riding his motorbike while naked. His response: “It’s warm, isn’t it?”
But for those of us who can’t take the day off — I had two interviews and plenty of work to do — we put up with the heat in any way possible. I stuck to the shade as much as possible, and many people on the train wore sun hats or carried handheld fans.
I learned quickly that Germans don’t have the same penchant for ice-cold drinks as we Americans do. Drinks like juice or water might be chilled, but without ice. (Again, Europeans visiting us might ask, “Why are your drinks so cold?”) To cool myself down, I opted instead for some fruit gelato — much more refreshing than room-temperature tap water.
Walking through Kreuzberg in the mid-day heat, I was lucky enough to stumble upon one of the city’s new public drinking fountains. The water was cool and crisp, much better than a drinking fountain water in Southern California. But with only 45 fountains in the entire city, they aren’t a reliable source of hydration unless you live or work near one.
Burnin’ Up
The Berlin Senate, the local government, might want to consider installing more fountains, though, along with other hot-weather precautions. European heat waves are becoming more common, more intense, and more prolonged, says a report in The New York Times. Meteorologists say this trend is linked to climate change. We see a similar pattern in California, where the summertime fire season has grown increasingly prolonged and extreme.
Now, it looks like stubborn views against air conditioning might be changing. At the train station, I saw an older woman dragging around two large electric fans, presumably from the nearby Media Markt. The Washington Post writes that demand for fans and air-conditioning units has surged in recent years.
But air conditioners consume energy and release emissions, revealing a troublesome cycle: emissions worsen climate change, which increases demand for air conditioners, which increases emissions, and so on. The problem compounds itself.
Knowing this, I’m going to try adopting some European-inspired methods of for cooling down. Wednesday certainly taught me that I can survive the heat without excessive air conditioning. Once I’m back in California, I think I’ll take a stroll to the beach or enjoy a meal outside instead of reaching for the electric fan. (But I’ll keep my drinks iced, thanks.)
UCSB journalism students are fanning out across Berlin each day, reporting for feature articles which will be published right here in July. Meanwhile, they are blogging from the city about their travel and journalism experiences.
