Did it seem hotter than normal this summer in Yucatan?
It was. The city registered record temperatures over the last four months as a result of climate change, deforestation and urban growth, Linea Recta reports.
The trend will continue in the coming years, especially in Merida, where microclimates create even more oppressive heat, especially in Juan Pablo II, Francisco de Montejo and Ciudad Caucel.
According to the National Water Commission (Conagua), record temperatures of 43.5 degrees Celsius/110 degrees Fahrenheit in Ticul (May 11) and 40.3/104.9 degrees in Mérida (April 12) were recorded.
In Mérida, says Dr. Ernesto Sansores Gual, of the Faculty of Engineering at the Autonomous University of Yucatan (UADY), the temperature rose one degree in the last 25 years, because there is now a greater number of citizens, vehicles and industries.
Biologist Enrique Sarabia Basto, also at UADY, agrees. The increase in temperature in Merida is due, among other reasons, to heat from pavement, sidewalks, concrete slabs, surfaces without green areas and the lack of trees in the center and new residential areas. Less vegetation, more construction.
And more cars. On average, there is a motor vehicle in Yucatan for every 3.7 inhabitants.
In six years, the average temperature in Merida may increase 1.5 percent annually, warns Dr. Sansores Gual.
Source: Linea Recta