Surviving a heatwave

Millions of people around the world have been living under heat advisories due to record hot temperatures. The exceptional heat is being felt across Europe, the US, North Africa, the Middle East and Asia.

Host James Reynolds hears from three farmers in South Africa, Nigeria and the UK about how they are having to adapt their work and methods due to the extreme conditions.

“When it comes to reseeding we’re looking for deeper rooting grasses that can get down further to pick up moisture in these dry periods,” says Luke in the UK. “We’re also trying to put in cover crops and nitrogen fixing to encourage fertility within the soil and putting on more things like muck, which builds up that compost within the soil layer allowing it keep in more moisture and do better.”

The high temperatures have also prompted a warning about the increased risk to life and general human health. We hear from three doctors in India, France and Australia about the warning signs of heatstroke and the cases they are having to treat due to exposure to the sun.

Meanwhile, wildfires have been burning in several countries, including Canada where the spreading smoke continues to impact air quality into the United States. We reunite two firefighters in the US, who we spoke to a year ago, and hear their thoughts on the latest emergency situation.

A co-production between the BBC OS team and Boffin Media.

(Photo: Firefighter Whitney Lindsay in the US. Credit: Whitney Lindsay)