6 Minute English / Heatwaves: can we adapt?

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Beth.

And I m Neil.

I have a confession to make, Neil - I love the hot weather. It's a chance to get outside, maybe get a suntan. But sometimes it gets too hot, even for me.

Yes, depending where in the world you live, you've probably noticed that it's getting hotter year after year. 2023 is the hottest year on record with heatwaves in many countries around the world, even Britain.

When it gets too hot, the human body knows how to cool down. It sweats, passing salty water called sweat through the skin to lose heat. But unlike the body, houses don't know how to keep cool. And in hot parts of the world where air conditioning is unavailable, or unaffordable, this is a real problem.

In this programme, we'll be hearing about an innovative new idea for keeping houses cool in one of the hottest countries on Earth, India. And as usual we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

But before we hear more about this sweaty subject, I have a question for you, Neil. Living in cities where summer temperatures regularly exceed 45 degrees Celsius, Indians have been finding clever ways to keep their houses cool for over five thousand years. One of them is called jaali , but what exactly is it? Is jaali :

a) a tall house designed to reduce sunlight?

b) a honeycomb pattern used in windows? or,