In a Changing Climate, Access to Cooling Is a Human Right [talkpoverty.org]
When I wake at 5:00 a.m. on a summer desert morning, it’s to catch the only cool moments before the day begins. In a few hours, the temperature will rise past 100 degrees, and by mid-day, the dashboard thermometer in my car will read 117 degrees. I keep my children’s car seats covered with old towels and grocery bags to prevent the buckles from heating up like branding irons. Along the roadsides, the leaves on the orange trees droop and even the cacti look thirsty. At the Santa Rita Park,...