Surviving in Kuwait's 'unbearable' heat - BBC News

The Middle East is heating up at twice the global average, and Kuwait now regularly sees temperatures above 50C.

Kuwait’s economy is dominated by fossil fuel exports but as the temperature rises more and more of Kuwait is becoming desert and it becomes harder to live with the extreme heat.

With the mercury topping 53C, three Kuwaiti citizens - an influencer, a weather forecaster and a retired civil servant - raise the alarm with concerns about “how much longer we can consider Kuwait habitable” 

They urge that Kuwait must not be allowed to get any hotter - and one of them has a solution to offer.

BBC Life at 50C looks at extreme heat around the world. 

#BBCLifeAt50C #Kuwait #BBCNews

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sorry but the so called "influencer" woman in a fully ventialted apartment doesn't suffer in this situation, it's the road workers, construction workers, people who pick up the garbage, homeless, people who work in facilities that are surrounded by metal (cuz of the heat it gets up to 80*c)
Edit: she killed someone whilst under the influence if drugs and driving, and her family lawyer is claiming she didn’t do it

[ajwhoreads]

BBC, if you interview the rich ones, you would not understand the underlying issues? Think about the labourers, who work under the scorching heat.

[Stl_]

As a Kuwaiti, I do not like how this turned out. BBC should've included other people like Om Naif or at least one labor worker instead of an influencer. Whether it's a municipality worker, a mechanic, or basically anyone else. They could've gone to several organizations that try to change the weather situation in Kuwait on a government level but have no voice. I admit, we are lazy and love our A/C and our cars, and tbh, I am one of them. But that doesn't mean that there isn't anyone trying to change it on a legislative level.

[zainababulhasan]

I am Kuwaiti who lives in Kuwait, watching this video made me feel miserable, while the reality is not that tragic!
We are privileged to have access to ACs and so and so, I just feel sorry for those who have similar issues but no access to AC or electricity or even water !

[JitGanguly]

rather than showing how common people are dealing with heatwave, they are showing a rich influencer's struggle. BBC, do better

[foaadhusain]

For me, the lady planting the trees is my "influencer".

[mildredpearlkagoda]

Am moving to Kuwait next month for a nanny job. But I already know, it's going to be hard like it was for me in Oman back in 2016, I started sleeping under my bed because of the heat, the cold tiles helped a lot, my employer was so financially strained and just generally a bad person because the family refused me from using the AC unit in my bedroom, I could have easily died from the heat.
At yet another home in Oman, I used to wakeup at 3 in the morning because by 5, it would be too hot to work outside, as a housemaid then.
It's her nanny, housemaid, driver and workers who use the bus train or walk to work that are truely affected NOT the employers

[muralis]

That Lady planting trees in extreme weather conditions,
Bring me tears, really inspired me❤

[hakimshire]

The Story of two women;one complaining about the heat ruining her photos under her AC and the other one out there trying to make a difference 🥂

[kmcleod]

Bless the lady who planted the trees. So wonderful.

[manoramasah]

Senseless documentary of a woman who is least affected by heat.... She is in luxury n complaining about heat... What about the workers/labours....

[panorama]

Feel sorry for those laborer brothers who are still working hard in this hot country. They are from Bangladesh, India & Pakistan.

[retnojouny]

The lady who plants the trees 😭 God bless her heart and soul

[kokonana]

That Kuwaiti lady who plants the trees is awesome. She takes the issue head on and never backs down despite all the disparagement. She's so inspiring.

[Maya_Ruinz]

I remember my time in the service, we were stationed in Kuwait for a month and it was incredibly hot even at night. The humidity was almost always above 90% and so it made basic activities incredibly draining even in the early morning hours. This was in 2005, I can't imagine how hot is now with the continuing climate change threat.

[Itspavi]

In Singapore it’s usually 30 degrees, I can’t imagine living here if it gets any higher. My heart really goes out to those living in the Middle East :(

[ruqayyapervaiz]

The lady who planted the trees, what a courageous woman. We should all aim to be like her. So selfless, giving and caring.

[thatfroginpeppapig]

This video is basically like asking a rich man what living in poverty is like.

[zaytona]

I live in Saudi Arabia, specifically in Jeddah and if u’ve been there you know how hot it gets during the summer. We can barely have a 5 min walk outdoors and it’s 40 C max. To think that Kuwait literally reaches 50+C is just crazyy. I cant imagine how the workers there are living or those who cant afford a comfortable ventilated living.

[theodoreharris]

I lived in Kuwait for a bit, and the addiction to air conditioning is both understandable and insane, I think the one example that fully encapsulates the insanity of it all would be the portable outdoor Air conditioners the size of an American fridge used to cool 1-2 outdoor restaurant tables for people who would choose to eat outside. The marina restaurant areas would be full of these running seemingly even when no one is around.

The heat is truly unbearable but the methods to escape it seem to spawn from a laissez faire attitude from the excess of fossil fuel energy that provides an insanely low energy prices. I can't help but feel this is born from their own excess and hubris that their oil reserves can sustain this lifestyle. It most certainly can't for the poor working migrants who do not have the luxury to have an air conditioned Apartment or Car.