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Puerto Rico’s Public Schools Clamor For Air Conditioning To Get Relief From Record-Breaking Heat
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Public school teacher Ángel Muñiz grabbed a thermometer and thrust it into the camera as someone recorded him inside his classroom this week.
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“It is about 99 degrees (37 C),” he said in a video posted on social media as seven fans whirred noisily around him.
It wasn’t even noon yet, and an advisory that day warned of a heat index of up to 111 F (43.8 C).
Students and teachers are sweltering in public schools across Puerto Rico that lack air conditioning and are demanding government action as the U.S. Caribbean territory struggles to respond to climate change effects while it bakes under record heat this year.
Last month was the hottest August on the island since record-keeping began. Puerto Rico broke the record of the daily maximum temperature six times and the highest minimum eight times, according to the National Weather Service in San Juan.It also was the hottest August worldwide, with 2023 the second hottest year on record so far.
Heat advisories for Puerto Rico became the norm this summer, with the island reporting a record 47 nights with temperatures above 80 F (26 C).
“Records are being broken almost every day,” said Odalys Martínez, National Weather Service forecaster.
Public schools with no air conditioning or whose cooling systems are inoperable due to power outages blamed on a hurricane-battered electric grid are seeking relief, but it’s unlikely they’ll find it soon.
Last month, Gov. Pedro Pierluisi quietly vetoed a bill that called for air conditioning systems for public schools. The move outraged many, with some calling the situation inhumane as students organized protests.
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