Summer of suffering

Iraqis have no escape from the abnormal heatwave that is sweeping the region

A punishing heatwave causes temperatures to feel like 72°C in Iran and 51°C in Iraq. Ahmed Al Rubaye / AFP

We have our limits, even in this region, where scorching heat is the norm at this time of year. And those limits are being tested at the moment, as a heatwave bakes parts of the Middle East. The situation is particularly critical in Iraq and Iran, where “feels-like” temperatures have touched 70°C.

With more than 14 million Iraqis displaced by conflict and power blackouts testing the patience of Baghdad’s residents, the options for cooling off are limited. The heat has become so oppressive that the Iraqi government declared a mandatory four-day holiday last week and, at the same time, pleaded with residents to turn off their air-conditioning and save what little power there is.

In this country we can be thankful that we spend most of the summer living in an air-conditioned environment, but we should spare a thought and a prayer for those in peril elsewhere. It’s time to show a little humility amid the humidity of the long, hot summer.