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Extreme heat is now making cities unlivable. How can we survive it?

Unbearable heat in China’s megacities reveals the future many of us face, but also suggests ways we can adapt

By You Xiaoying

20 November 2024

Sunset / sunrise of Silhouette Shanghai skyline of Historical architecture and modern skyscraper on the bund of Shanghai city with Smog lies in misty fog, China

Humidity makes Shanghai’s heat more unbearable

lukyeee1976/Getty Images

“My office felt like a steamer on Monday morning,” wrote Chinese influencer Bi Dao in a social media post in August. He fetched a drink from a supposed cold-water dispenser – it was 40.8°C (105°F). Bi, who lives in Hangzhou, a regional capital on China’s east coast, decided to roam the city with a temperature gun, pointing it at things to find out exactly how hot they had got. “The ground was 72.6°C, the seat of a sharing bike was 56.5°C, the handrail in the metro station was 45°C, even the tree bark was 38.7°C,” he wrote. He ended his post by thanking…

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