An Elegy for Vancouver Summer

Rising Temperatures and Raging Wildfires Have Me Dreading My Favorite Season—And Mourning the Splendid Days of My Childhood

Last summer was my first in my new apartment. I’d moved into the building in the fall, several weeks into a cool Vancouver November. The trees were bare, and our famous winter rain had set in for its months-long stay, but I stood on my balcony, looking out over the cityscape and mountains behind it, and thought: This will be heaven in summer.

Buildings in the Pacific Northwest are built for cold, despite our relatively mild winters. They’re made of wood and insulated, or of concrete, which retains heat naturally. Mine, …

It’s Getting Hot in Here, So … What, Exactly?

Scientists’ Strategies for Adapting to a Warmer World

We can all buy hybrid and electric cars and install as many solar panels as we want, and we can work toward lowering greenhouse gas emissions worldwide—but climate change is …

Hot, Sometimes Bothered

Bill Streever Explores the Mystery of Heat and Humankind

We might love to spend our vacations at the beach and buy winter homes in places like Arizona, but humans are a lot like Goldilocks when it comes to temperatures. …

Learning to Love That Furnace-Like Sensation

What’s the Most Delightful Way To Spend a 100-Plus-Degree Day Outdoors?

When summer rolls around, many of us react much as we would in winter: by running inside. But some hearty souls brave the sun and stay out of doors. They …

All Roads From Phoenix Lead to San Diego

The California Coast Has Always Been Part Of Phoenician History-and Mine

Long before the Interstate 8 connected Arizona and San Diego, there was the Old Plank Road. The name is what it sounds like. Wooden planks provided cars with a way …

Phoenix, My Skin Is Stretching

Why An Arizona Summer Is Like a Minnesota Winter

A hot day can shut down scholastic and extracurricular activities back east. Here in Phoenix, you learn fast that a heat advisory is only issued when temperatures are expected to …