India has inspiration for handling heat

The planet is hot and getting hotter. That’s no longer debatable, and human inaction could doom life as we know it. Depression over the future is hard to escape, especially on days when Santa Fe’s mid-90s temperatures easily feel much hotter. Here, heat and elevation pack a potent punch. Meanwhile, in England, runways melted, a 104.5-degree Fahrenheit sizzler of a day set a record and roads began to buckle.

Fires were sweeping France and Portugal and heat records fell across Europe. More than 1,600 people on the continent are estimated to have died because of extreme temperatures.

These summer heat waves are no longer waves — as in a temporary uptick in temperature for a day or five before returning to a tolerable level. They are portents of temperatures to come.

In Santa Fe, where no one needed air conditioning for decades, central air now is less a convenience and more a necessity. Folks who lack cool indoor air take in midday movies or go shopping at a mall just to beat the heat. The elderly and the very young are at risk, both here and across the country. Some 100 million Americans are under extreme heat warnings right now.

But despair is not going to equip us to face this hotter world.

Government action at the federal level is stalled, thanks to a West Virginia senator who likes coal and seems to take pleasure in blocking climate-sensible legislation — to say nothing of the wishes of the majority of his own party. Joe Manchin soon will be beside the point — either the GOP will take a Senate majority or enough Democrats will win seats that his vote can’t block legislation.

For now, though, New Mexico is mostly on its own in setting policies that will ensure the state is equipped for a hotter, drier future.

Those decisions include everything from passing the Energy Transition Act, to the recent recognition of Northern New Mexico streams as outstanding waters, to using $38 million in federal dollars to expand electrical vehicle charger infrastructure.

All of the above are crucial to creating a sustainable world.

At the local level, there are choices by cities and school districts to install solar panels. Santa Fe County has pledged to reduce its building emissions some 60 percent by 2025. It all adds up. Perhaps leadership begins at the local level — house to house, school board to school board, city government to city government. Clearly, waiting for the feds to make things happen is not the way to go.

And when it feels as though nothing we are doing is enough — and it likely is not — we can turn to inspiration from individual action. Take what is happening a world away, in India, seen in a YouTube video and shared by acequia members here in New Mexico.

India, like the rest of the planet, is suffering from drought and heat. That makes saving the rains that do fall during the country’s monsoons more essential than ever.

Villages in the state of Maharashtra competed from 2016-19 to see which town can build the most water harvesting structures in just 45 days — the Water Cup.

In 2020, the competition expanded and now is aimed at transforming rural ecology and economy.

Thousands of villages have competed, building enough infrastructure over four years to save 145 billion gallons. The contest was established by the Paani Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating drought and creating prosperity.

Would a similar competition help in Northern New Mexico? A challenge to villagers and townspeople to build and to demand governments build infrastructure to capture and store water?

Water harvesting structures, were they in place, could slow floods in areas decimated by fires.

At least some of the water would be captured and seep into the ground. Eventually, stored water would help in restoring water tables and boosting agriculture efforts.

The planet is facing tremendous odds — all exacerbated by the climate crisis. But with collective action and individual innovation, the future does not have to be bleak.

Find inspiration, just as acequia members are doing by looking to India for ideas. Together, we can improve the odds.