If you throw a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will jump out immediately. However, if you put the frog in a pot of cold water and turn on the heat on low, gradually bringing the water to a boil, so the story goes, the frog won't stir and will be cooked to death. This is the situation we find ourselves in on Curaçao. I don't mean this figuratively, but literally! Temperatures are rising worldwide. Curaçao will not escape this either. Research by the meteorological service (the 'Meteo') has already shown that the island has experienced more and more warm days and fewer cooler nights in recent decades. Due to the higher sea temperature, the temperature of the coolest moment of the night, just before sunrise, has risen. And that in turn opens the door to possible higher maximum temperatures during the day.
Check out the interview on EXTRA Journaal.
Check out the interview (in Dutch) on EXTRA Journaal
How does your body cool down by sweating?
The average body temperature of a human is 37°C. Your body tries to maintain this temperature at all costs. If the environment is very cold, your body produces heat. You can even start shivering to generate heat. In a hot environment, you try to lose heat by sweating. However, sweating itself does not cool you down. You only cool down when the sweat on your skin evaporates. Evaporating moisture from your skin removes heat from the skin. You then cool down. A drop of sweat that rolls off your skin and ends up on the ground therefore has no cooling effect. You can achieve the same effect with alcolado, a local refreshing lotion based on alcohol, menthol, and essential oils, on your skin. The alcolado on your skin evaporates and you cool down.
The air temperature is measured with a thermometer in the shade. However, this is not a good indicator of the effect of heat on our body. After all, your body is able to lose heat by sweating. However, the amount of sweat on your skin that is able to evaporate depends on the relative humidity of the air. At a low relative humidity, for example 30%, as during the day in the desert, the sweat evaporates almost immediately and you cool down. You do have to keep drinking a lot though. The moisture you lose must be replenished, otherwise you will dehydrate quickly. At a high relative humidity, for example 80%, the sweat evaporates much less. The air already contains so much moisture that not much more can be added. And if the relative humidity is 100%, the sweat will not even evaporate anymore. After all, the air is then saturated with water vapor and nothing more can be added. Your body can then not lose the heat.
On Curaçao, the relative humidity is around 80%. This is a high humidity. This is because Curaçao is an island and is surrounded by water. On Curaçao, the sweat on your skin should therefore have difficulty evaporating. However, the sweat on your skin often still evaporates due to the constant breeze that blows here. However, if the wind dies down, you immediately feel the effect of 80% humidity. The sweat on your skin then hardly evaporates, making you feel warm. The Meteo takes this into account and publishes the so-called "heat index" in the weather report, in addition to the air temperature. This perceived temperature can be many degrees higher than the air temperature.
Effects of increasing heat on humans
The effects of heat on the human body should not be underestimated. Your work productivity decreases if you work outside or in a non-cooled environment. You sleep less well if the power goes out at night and your air conditioner or fan stops working. In hot classrooms, children become sleepy and concentration decreases. The elderly tolerate heat less well, which can lead to health problems.
Negative effects of rising temperatures
We are currently living in a period of climate change. The periods when it is relatively warm are getting longer. It cools down less at night than before. Most of you will not have missed that in recent months we had temperatures that we normally only have in August and September. And all that in combination with a high relative humidity. The negative effects of heat will therefore increase! As already indicated above, heat is not good for public health and work performance in a non-cooled room will decrease, which is not good for the economy. However, the number of negative effects on the economy is much greater:
- Air conditioners have to work harder, increasing energy costs and therefore also the "Cost of doing business".
- Tourists will find our paradise island less pleasant and seek refuge in cooler places.
- The coral reef is deteriorating, which means fewer (diving) tourists will visit our island.
- The number of storms and their strength will increase, resulting in more damage to the coast and coastal buildings. This will also cause tourists to avoid our island.
- Rainfall will become more intense, causing more water to flow to the sea. This makes less water available for agriculture and nature. Nature is part of our tourism product. If nature decreases, the tourism product deteriorates.
- The force of larger amounts of flowing rainwater will cause more damage, as we saw last May in Bandabou. The Meteo recorded 310 millimeters of rainfall in Soto on May 4 this year. That's a lot! During Tomas in 2010, 275 millimeters fell.
What can we do to counteract the negative effects of increasing heat?
What we can do is take the following actions (in random order):
Plant native trees in the built environment where possible and create small city parks with native trees.
Trees primarily provide shade. This prevents you from being exposed to direct sunlight. But even more important is that it is a few degrees cooler under trees. Trees suck water from the soil and evaporate it through the leaves. The evaporating water cools the environment just like the evaporating sweat on your skin. Trees are "green air conditioners" for which you do not receive an electricity bill. And why native trees? They are less susceptible to disease and require less water. Native trees are also an important part of local ecosystems. When planting trees close to buildings, choose native trees with a taproot and not non-native trees with a horizontally spreading root system. A horizontally spreading root system can damage the foundations of buildings. A taproot does not. A taproot goes vertically down. A good example of a tree with a taproot is the Wayaka or Pokhout (Guaiacum officinale). In small city parks further away from the buildings, the Indju (Prosopis juliflora) and the Watakeli (Bourreria suculenta) are good candidates. The Mangel Blanku (Conocarpus erectus) is a good choice for saltier soil. Experiment with new cultivation methods for these native trees. In an ordinary flower pot, the taproot will curl up. We may have to move to deeper pots for native trees with a taproot and then plant them out more quickly. Also, don't forget that many tourists are looking for authenticity. So what we should not do is copy other tourist resorts by, for example, planting many exotic trees such as palm trees.
Do not concrete and asphalt all surfaces and build on the wind
Concrete and asphalt absorb heat during the day and release it at night, keeping it hot at night. Therefore, do not concrete and asphalt everything in urban areas (the less the better). Just leave parts in the 'city' soil. An unpaved ground surface also cools the environment when it is wet and allows water to penetrate into the soil, replenishing the groundwater. Furthermore, build on the wind to make use of the cooling effect of the wind.
Place solar panels on roofs
Solar panels produce electricity and have an insulating effect if an air layer remains between the solar panel and the roof. The temperature in the building will then be a few degrees lower. Double profit!
Take measures to protect the coral reef
Coral reefs do not tolerate rising sea water temperatures well. However, a coral reef that is in good condition can withstand higher temperatures better than a coral reef that is weakened. Therefore, protect the reef and stop discharging sewage into the sea!! These discharges cause algae to grow and the coral reef to become overgrown and even die. Parrotfish (Gutu) keep the reef clean. At the moment, however, they are dying. This is probably due to cyanobacteria that live in algae and produce poison.
Ensure a well-functioning dam system
Dams prevent the precious rainwater from largely flowing into the sea and ensure that the rainwater penetrates into the soil. This replenishes the groundwater. This is good for nature and agriculture. We have more than a thousand dams on Curaçao. This is quite unique! The dams of Curaçao can therefore also be considered as cultural heritage.
Plant mangroves on the coast
Mangroves protect coastal buildings from storm damage and protect the coral reef from erosion from land. Storms will increase in number and become more severe in the future. So stop cutting down mangroves and start a large-scale mangrove planting program. The only one currently doing this with limited resources but with success is Ryan de Jongh.
Adjust building codes
We will have to adapt our building codes to a future where there is a greater chance of storms. Overhead cables along the roads are susceptible to wind damage and will therefore have to be laid underground.
Adjust your lifestyle
It is absolutely not necessary to sleep under a blanket in the air conditioning on Curaçao. A sheet is sufficient. You can then set the air conditioning less cold. The electricity costs then go down. Adjust dress codes in organizations. Long-sleeved shirts with a tie are hot (let alone a jacket!) and not suitable for this climate anyway. Prescribe clothing that has a cooling effect,such as a guayabera. The air conditioning then does not have to be set as cold.
Make more use of EU funds to finance measures
The EU has funds that are also accessible to Curaçao, such as the EU Life/Best funds, for measures to combat the effects of climate change. The "Cabinet Special Envoy of the BES islands" has a very good website (https://cabinetspecialenvoy.com) where it is explained how you can apply for these funds.
Adjust legislation
The debate on climate change in parliament is constantly being postponed. Legislation that takes climate change into account is currently lacking but is urgently needed. This is a rewarding task for parliament!
Curaçao is getting warmer. We can wait until it's too late and we go under like the frog in the hot pan, or we can take action now! The choice is ours!
ir. Paul Stokkermans
Paul Stokkermans is a retired agricultural engineer and former director of Carmabi and former policy officer of the then Department of Economic Affairs (DEZ) on Curaçao. He is currently director of Scientegia Solutions.
INCREASING HEAT ON CURACAO