The urban planning needs of two important port cities in South America, Guayaquil and Buenos Aires, are misunderstood by most of their residents – starting with their politicians. The effects of climate change, such as extreme heat waves or the increasingly frequent and intense El Niño phenomenon, are interpreted as expected cyclical news against which little can be done. Because of this, they are facing calls to change the vision of progress measured by the built-up square meter.

These days I was in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where the attitude of the people seems to be that they are still recovering from the hellish heat wave that hit them until March 16. This month there were days when the minimum temperature reached 28 degrees Celsius, and the maximum 40. The trees that adorn certain sidewalks and parks continue to bloom stoically; It seems the rain hasn’t stopped falling this year. But the city knows how many old people, adults and children have suffered from the heat that overwhelms the streets and homes and schools in areas without the privilege of permanent air conditioning.

In Guayaquil, residents also endured March of extreme weather. On Thursday, March 9 alone, 50% of the month’s normal rain fell, and aguaje flooded parts of the city on the night of March 21. The school year hasn’t started yet, so we still have to wait for announcements of the delayed start of classes in public schools due to heavy rains, as well as warnings about an increase in dengue cases.

As a colleague says, a poor blade of grass cools more than its equivalent on a sidewalk, pavement or block, but in Ecuador and Argentina many willfully ignore that cities must reorganize and invest to increase their vegetation cover, an essential element to reduce urban temperatures. Likewise, buildings should be designed to promote natural air conditioning, that is, without the use of air conditioners, because in neither of the two countries is there enough electricity to cool everything artificially. And extreme heat has negative effects on human health.

It is certainly impossible for local authorities, dependent on the support of economic elites and overburdened with problems, to demand fundamental changes in the construction industry of popular luxury and multi-family settlements. But so-called heat islands, where temperatures are the highest in the city, are gradually becoming the norm in Buenos Aires and Guayaquil. To face this reality, the authorities concerned must apply existing norms or adapt others, making better use of the political ingenuity that brought them to office.

I have hope for those who have the minimum ambition to exceed rather than cling to the ease of traditional politics, even at the expense of their own posterity, who will otherwise suffer from electricity shortages that will not differentiate between rich and poor. (OR)