Blog Marathon Post 2 - Heat wave in Europe

Yesterday my dad read out an article to me from the Times of India where it was stated that Sunday, the 5th of July was the hottest day in Europe since 1981 with temperature touching 40 degrees Celsius. I wringed in pain at the very thought of it. 

There are no fans or no Air Conditioners in any of the houses, which at least I have been in Europe. When I had been to Germany for first time in 2002, I was there for the winter semester and hadn't really tasted the Summer of Germany. But in 2013 and 2014, I experienced it and I was worked up for those 2 months, June and July where it gets really hot and you can't do anything but crib and take help of China made plastic fans. Nights are horrible. There is no trace of wind and one spends sleepless nights. It takes a toll on your mental and physical health. I was thankful to the owner, who had given us a portable fan, though it was not of much use, it helped a little. Europeans enjoy the summer totally by planning vacations by the water bodies, so that it is little bearable. They sit in cafes and restaurants till late night as the sun usually sets by 10 pm or so. They make the most of it while the sun shines. The heat wave was so bad this year that the highways got damaged, the tar road became uneven and it caused inconvenience and accidents while driving.

Germany has always been conscious about maintaining, enriching and saving natural resources which are available there in abundance. They have been segregating their waste since a very long time now. They do not waste water because drinking water costs you bucks there. Electricity is very costly there, so you won't see anybody switching a light in the room and not being in the room. They have parks and forests, woods in every smallest town. Germany set a world record for solar power production with 25.8 GW produced at midday on April 20 and April 21, 2015. With such a little sun available throughout the year, it is has been the world's top Photovoltaic installer for several years and still leads in terms of the overall installed capacity. Read more about Photovoltaic here Photovoltaics

What is India doing with abundant sunshine throughout the year? Wasting it totally or? The rain water is wasted too. The temperatures in Europe have gone up in past 20 years, but they are doing their best to combat it in their own small ways. They build houses, but not on agricultural lands or by clearing the forests. Why can't we keep Germany as our role model? The problem of water and electricity would be solved forever. We also need to be more aware of our natural resources and strive to maintain them. We need to educate the people about the outcomes of wasting natural resources. We should not feel proud to invent an Air Conditioner which keeps you cool even in 42 degrees, but we should strive to reduce the overall temperature by planting more and more trees.