In 1995, a heat wave killed 739 people in Chicago in just one week. No doubt the current heat wave is causing hundreds of deaths in Chicago once again, especially among the elderly, sick, and poor.

By 2100, forecasts show, Chicago could face 30 days a year when the temperature exceeds 100, compared to 3 days now. They’ll have 70 days a year when it’s over 90, compared to 12-15 now. Obviously, there are zillions of variables. But it’s definitely gonna be a whole lot hotter. A 2-degree rise in temperature, from 1900, is pretty much locked in; it’ll probably go higher. Lots of variables, but a good thing for responsible politicians (an oxymoron?) to anticipate.

Fortunately, Chicago has a very aggressive plan for dealing with climate change—a model for the rest of the country. They don’t anticipate any big water problems—not sitting next to Lake Michigan—but they are concerned about severe heat.

Two things Chicago is doing: planting more trees, and shifting to windpower for electricity. The book “Hot: Living Through the Next 50 Years on Earth,” by Mark Hertsgaard, tells about it.

One very simple idea came as a result of three maps:

1. A heat map showed parts of the city where temperatures were higher than elsewhere. It revealed “heat islands” throughout the city.
2. A second map charted tree foliage. Overlaying the maps showed that temperatures were higher in areas with fewer trees.
3. Then they overlaid a third map, this one showing income levels. It showed that the hot, low-foliage areas were especially prevalent in low-income areas.

So, they are intentionally targeting those hotspots for tree-planting, including planting trees in vacant lots. In the future, this additional tree cover will bring down temperatures throughout the city…and contribute toward saving lives. A simple bit of intentionality. New York City is doing the same thing.

Chicago also wants to become America’s capital of wind power. Eight of the world’s leading manufacturers base their North American operations in Chicago. The Midwest is the Saudi Arabia of wind power. Huge wind turbines are difficult to transport—so why not build them near where they will be installed? That’s the idea.

Chicago is doing many other things to deal with climate change, and their example is spreading to other cities. Very interesting, and encouraging, to read about.

With a merciless heat wave in effect, I’m reminded of a superb book I read earlier in the year, “Hot: Living Through the Next 50 Years on Earth,” by Mark Hertsgaard. It’s the best book I’ve read so far this year.

Currently, New York City has 14 days a year when temperatures exceed 90 degrees. By the 2020s, they’ll have 23-29 such days, and the number will triple to 29-40 days a year by 2050.

New York now experiences two extreme heat waves a year. By the 2050s, there will be 4-6 extreme heat waves per year.

The heat will be even worse in interior areas, whether in the American Midwest or in Africa. If it’s 2 degrees hotter on the coast, it’ll be 3 degrees hotter inland.

Currently, Chicago has 3 days a year over 100 degrees. By 2100, their own forecasts show, they’ll face 30 such days a year. They’ll have 70 days a year when it’s over 90, compared to 12-15 now.

This isn’t a linear thing, where you can chart a continual increase in temperature every year. The fact is, next summer could be very mild. The climate is a very complicated thing. But everything is trending upward, no doubt about it. The fact that the polar ice cap has pretty much melted, and glaciers in every part of the world are melting, is an obvious indication of global warming.

The science of climate change is solid. In the future, there will be higher heat, reduced water supplies, more flooding, and more major storms. Plus a whole bunch of other ramifications.

In his book, Hertsgaard doesn’t try to convince people that global warming is for real. In fact, he says he rarely engages with deniers, considering it a waste of time. Rather, in this book he shows what governments around the world are doing to prepare for what lies ahead.

No country is in more denial than the United States; just listen to Fox News pundits and Rush Limbaugh. However, a number of localities in the US—most significantly Seattle, Chicago, New York, and the state of California—have developed serious plans for dealing with climate change. Chapter 4 of “Hot” deals with those three cities. I was encouraged to know that, despite the blindness at the national level, there are local governments that do understand the issue and are doing something about it.

Likewise with some countries. The Dutch have developed a 200-year plan to deal with rising sea levels. That’s right—200 years (and glimpse ahead 400 years in some specific areas). Hertsgaard spends all of chapter 5 talking about the Dutch. It’s fascinating.

The British established an agency in 1997 to prepare the country for climate change, and they are working with scores of local governments and businesses to help prepare for harsher summers, more flooding, and reduced water. The government provides maps showing areas at greater risk. Every British government department must prepare plans for dealing with climate change. They are increasing the size of floodgates on the Thames river to deal with rising sea levels.

Bangladesh, which is threatened by major storms more than any other country, is trying to do some major things, despite their poor economy. The Chinese, however, like the US, mostly remain in denial.

Hertsgaard writes in a very popular, picturesque way. And he continually comes back to his young daughter, Chiara, recognizing that he’ll pass from the scene before the brunt of climate change hits, but that Chiara will remain to deal with it. Puts a very human face on it.

“The Professional,” from October 2009, is Robert Parker’s 37th novel in the Spenser series. Number 38, “Painted Ladies,” came out in 2010, and Number 39, “Sixkill,” appeared in May 2011. And that’s it. Robert Parker died in January 2010, but had books at the publisher and fresh off his typewriter. But the well is running dry.

I understand that some guy named Ace Atkins will be writing new books in the Spenser series. For Pete’s sake, the guy lives in Mississippi! And he’s gonna spearhead a series based in Boston? Maybe I should suspend judgment until next spring, when his first Spenser book is released. Assuming I decide to read it.

Which just goes to make the point: every new Parker book, by the master himself, should be savored from this point on. I’ve got a couple on my shelf, in different series. I’m in no hurry to read them.

“The Professional” is typical Parker fare–a good, fun, and very quick read, but it’s not gonna win any prizes for grand literature. In fact, I would consider this one of the less-interesting Spenser books. But again–savor, savor.

In this book, four women, the wives of wealthy older men, hire Spenser to deal with an extortionist and lothario-extraordinaire named Gary Eisenhower. They want him to back off. Each woman had had an affair with him. One of the husbands is wise to what’s happening, and hires thugs to get involved. Parker gets to know Eisenhower, and kinda likes him. I did too, to an extent.

The book deals with that straightforward plotline for half of the book. Then it turns into a murder mystery. And I’m not sure what else to say without spoiling things.

There are no bad books in the Spenser series. There are some great ones, and some not-so-great ones, but not bad ones. “The Professional,” like all of the others, is a can’t-miss fun read.