Long Hot Summer

It probably comes as no surprise that the summer of 2012 is shaping up to be one of the hottest on record in North America.

The implications are troubling:

- Extreme heat is a leading cause of weather-related deaths. It's estimated that 50,000 people died across Europe during the extreme heat wave of 2003.

- Drought in the central U.S. and parts of Canada will lead to higher food prices in the coming months.

- Hot summers test our electrical generating capacity and aging distribution infrastructure, leading to blackouts and brownouts. Over fifty million people in Ontario and seven states lost their electricity in the blackout of August 14, 2003.

While I worry about the problems associated with the weather we're having this summer, I'm not going to dwell on them. After all, summers in Canada only last a few short months. It would be a shame not to enjoy them.

I took this photo a couple of weeks ago on beautiful Cape Breton Island. It was a hot, sunny day at the beach, but the water was a chilly 14 degrees. Even the record-setting summer of 2012 hasn't warmed up the North Atlantic!

Here are some books and DVDs to help you get the most out of summer.

For help dealing with the heat: