Know better. Do better.

Out with pictures of children splashing happily in fountains and workers taking lunchtime naps on deckchairs in the sun. In with images of people desperately dousing themselves at taps and firefighters battling forest blazes.

This, sadly, is our climate-changed world - where extreme heat has crept up on us faster and more furiously than expected, causing deaths, injury and illness, and making it harder for us to live comfortably and grow our food, to name just some of the harmful effects.

This new reality is forcing us to shift our behaviour, as well as the ways we visualise and talk about heat. Maps on TV weather bulletins are coloured dark red, while heatwave Cerberus - baking southern Europe this week - is named after a mythical monster said to guard the gates of hell. New phrases, like "heat storm", are being used by weather experts and will likely enter the vernacular.

One thing is clear: we are not adapting fast enough to protect ourselves. Estimates released last week by European health institutes found that a series of heatwaves last year led to more than 60,000 heat-related deaths on the continent, with the highest mortality rates in Italy, Greece and Spain.

These are countries where summer heat is common - but in many parts of the world, things are getting hotter than people are used to dealing with, including in the Global South. Bangladesh's capital Dhaka, for example, has recently appointed a chief heat officer to come up with a plan.

Bushra Afreen, a former social welfare executive, spoke to our correspondent, Md. Tahmid Zami, about her hopes to restore the lost lakes and trees of her childhood to cool off residents, and to coordinate efforts to manage the impact of rising temperatures, particularly on the poor and most disadvantaged.

In the United States, meanwhile, a heat dome over the southwest has triggered warnings covering millions of Americans, with temperature records predicted to be broken.

Hot and dry conditions are a key factor behind the rapid spread and growing intensity of wildfires - as well as their occurrence in places that have rarely experienced them before. Yet, at a time when the U.S. is likely to need growing numbers of wildland firefighters, many are thinking about quitting over low pay, reports David Sherfinski, who has followed their troubles from a lack of healthcare to inadequate wages.

Funding in President Joe Biden's 2021 infrastructure law gave a temporary pay boost to thousands of federal firefighters on the climate frontlines. But the money is set to run out in the autumn, which could push many out of the door - into state and local fire service jobs, which can offer better pay and working conditions, or other sectors including construction and even fast-food.

"I honestly think at least a third could go within a matter of months," said Steve Lenkart, executive director of the National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE) union. "It would be really devastating for the country."

Wind in my willows

Given the severe climate-related impacts we're seeing, the urgency of stepping up efforts to rein in global warming is becoming ever-clearer. That will require a big boost in renewable energy, alongside the phasing out of fossil fuels. What's less well known is that greener ways of generating power aren't always a win-win.

For example, in Brazil, some wind farms have been sited very close to Indigenous lands, taking advantage of a legal loophole – spurred about two decades ago by a drought that curbed hydroelectric output - allowing some energy projects to be approved without officially consulting local people.

Since then, wind power has risen from just 1% of the country's energy mix to 8% - but some communities only realised a wind farm was being set up in their backyard when machinery arrived to build it.

Indigenous leader Zenivaldo Bezerra told our correspondent Fabio Teixeira that listening to the "enchanted" - ancestral spirits – is now nigh-on impossible due to the constant hum of wind turbines erected on the surrounding savannah without his people's consent.

Lastly, a heads-up on our new series on the future of food crops in a warming world - “Rerooted” - starts Thursday on Context. Keep your eyes peeled!

Megan