© AG Photographe

There was a time when the reappearance at night of Sirius – the main star of the constellation Canis Major and the brightest in the whole firmament – heralded the year’s warmest period: those ‘days of the dog star’ that in the classical world stretched from mid-July to August. Now, however, each and every summer that goes by confirms that we have to withstand the canicule a lot more than Homer or Hesiod would have. Climate change has made Europe’s heat waves begin earlier, come more often, and last longer, and they have ceased to be a phenomenon exclusive to the summer months, or to the Mediterranean countries: the English countryside turns yellow, the Rhine dries up, and fires devour Le Midi, all this while thousands die on account of high temperatures and the continent’s functioning is disrupted. The recently deceased Léon Krier would be glad to see how the streets and squares are humanized with sporadic canopies, fountains, and planters, as he always dreamed, although the authorities would do well to think long-term and start worrying about a searing reality beyond a few dog days.