Surviving in Kuwait's 'unbearable' heat - BBC News 

sorry but the so called "influencer" woman in a fully ventialted apartment doesn't suffer in this situation, it's the road workers, construction workers, people who pick up the garbage, homeless, people who work in facilities that are surrounded by metal (cuz of the heat it gets up to 80*c) Edit: she killed someone whilst under the influence if drugs and driving, and her family lawyer is claiming she didn’t do it

rather than showing how common people are dealing with heatwave, they are showing a rich influencer's struggle. BBC, do better

As a Kuwaiti, I do not like how this turned out. BBC should've included other people like Om Naif or at least one labor worker instead of an influencer. Whether it's a municipality worker, a mechanic, or basically anyone else. They could've gone to several organizations that try to change the weather situation in Kuwait on a government level but have no voice. I admit, we are lazy and love our A/C and our cars, and tbh, I am one of them. But that doesn't mean that there isn't anyone trying to change it on a legislative level.

BBC,if you interview the rich ones,you would not understand the underlying issues? Think about the labourers,who work under the scorching heat.

The Story of two women;one complaining about the heat ruining her photos under her AC and the other one out there trying to make a difference 🥂

I am Kuwaiti who lives in Kuwait , watching this video made me feel miserable , while the reality is not that tragic! We are privileged to have access to ACs and so and so , I just feel sorry for those who have similar issues but no access to AC or electricity or even water !

For me, the lady planting the trees is my "influencer".

That Kuwaiti lady who plants the trees is awesome. She takes the issue head on and never backs down despite all the disparagement. She's so inspiring.

That Lady planting trees in extreme weather conditions, Bring me tears, really inspired me❤

The lady who plants the trees 😭 God bless her heart and soul

The lady who planted the trees, what a courageous woman. We should all aim to be like her. So selfless, giving and caring.

Am moving to Kuwait next month for a nanny job. But I already know, it's going to be hard like it was for me in Oman back in 2016, I started sleeping under my bed because of the heat, the cold tiles helped a lot, my employer was so financially strained and just generally a bad person because the family refused me from using the AC unit in my bedroom, I could have easily died from the heat. At yet another home in Oman, I used to wakeup at 3 in the morning because by 5, it would be too hot to work outside, as a housemaid then. It's her nanny, housemaid, driver and workers who use the bus train or walk to work that are truely affected NOT the employers

This video is basically like asking a rich man what living in poverty is like.

I’m Kuwaiti and this the most ridiculous documentary I ever seen! You just showed who’re the least affected by the heat!

Senseless documentary of a woman who is least affected by heat.... She is in luxury n complaining about heat... What about the workers/labours....

Bless the lady who planted the trees. So wonderful.

The ‘influencer’ seems so self-centered and focused on her selfish needs. Kudos to the OLD woman for planting trees and doing something for the environment. 👏👏👏

Feel sorry for those laborer brothers who are still working hard in this hot country. They are from Bangladesh, India & Pakistan.

Could’ve got a way better story simply talking to everyday people in Kuwait not an Instagram influencer. Kind of a no brainer 🧠

The influencer was interviewed because she is more relatable to westerners in terms of language, looks or habits, but apparently, that fired back lol, anyway hats off to the real hero of this story "Om Naief" a real beacon of hope to tackle this problem.

I remember my time in the service, we were stationed in Kuwait for a month and it was incredibly hot even at night. The humidity was almost always above 90% and so it made basic activities incredibly draining even in the early morning hours. This was in 2005, I can't imagine how hot is now with the continuing climate change threat.

The Story of two women; one is superficial "influencer" complaining about the weather and another brave one making an impact.

I noticed that BBC always interviews westernized people in any report from a middle eastern country. Thus projecting a severely skewed image about the people there

Her: there is absolutely no way to live here without an AC She clearly is living the best life cuz I know people that worked in the scorching heat and couldn't even afford an ac but they survive

Bravo to the lady who planted those trees, she should be an influencer to the people of Kuwait not the so call Instagram influencer showing her and kids lifestyle. GREEN VEGETATION CAN MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE IN KUWAIT.

These social media influencers really are a mockery to the human intelligence makes me absolutely sick

In Singapore it’s usually 30 degrees, I can’t imagine living here if it gets any higher. My heart really goes out to those living in the Middle East :(

The city area definitely can do with more trees. I'm perplexed that the lady can do it out of her own pocket, but the Kuwaiti government with all its riches cannot do it.

I'm still trying to understand what an "influencer" is.

I live in Saudi Arabia, specifically in Jeddah and if u’ve been there you know how hot it gets during the summer. We can barely have a 5 min walk outdoors and it’s 40 C max. To think that Kuwait literally reaches 50+C is just crazyy. I cant imagine how the workers there are living or those who cant afford a comfortable ventilated living.

Hmm... I don't get what the "influencer" contributed to this video in showing her perspective on the country's intense heat. If anything, makes her look bad and spoiled. Yes, it's hot because Kuwaitis are enjoying a modern, civilised, concrete jungle in the middle of the scorching desert heat. I mean, kudos to the older woman and the meteorologist for recognising this, acknowledging the problem, and proposing feasible solutions followed by real action and "boots on the ground." Other than that, what I got from the "influencer" was whining about how hot it is, how much she and her family suffer, and how to live your life around this heat crisis by structuring daily necessities, etc. Pathetic and sad, I recommend an additional crisis be recorded for Kuwait to tackle... a detached generation of spoiled brats who want cooler temperatures without having to give up any of their modern-day luxuries or change any of their carbon inducing habits.

This is not BBC. This is an episode from the privileged influencer's content videos.

I lived in Kuwait for a bit, and the addiction to air conditioning is both understandable and insane, I think the one example that fully encapsulates the insanity of it all would be the portable outdoor Air conditioners the size of an American fridge used to cool 1-2 outdoor restaurant tables for people who would choose to eat outside. The marina restaurant areas would be full of these running seemingly even when no one is around. The heat is truly unbearable but the methods to escape it seem to spawn from a laissez faire attitude from the excess of fossil fuel energy that provides an insanely low energy prices. I can't help but feel this is born from their own excess and hubris that their oil reserves can sustain this lifestyle. It most certainly can't for the poor working migrants who do not have the luxury to have an air conditioned Apartment or Car.

She lives in a building with A/C. Goes out early morning, is really hot lol drives a car 😂 never mind the field workers or regular and low class people , they aren’t influencers, what a joke

Their country is baking, yet they generate 100% of their electricity from fossil fuels...

Kuwait should be thanking the British for protecting them when Iraq wanted to invade and annex the land. They should also thank the Americans for protecting them from Iraq in 1990s. Now they are lucky they have enough technology, smart people, and money to battle these type of problems. Imagine dealing with this unbearable heat situation while being a part of Iraq and becoming a war zone with no electricity and money?

I would love if the Kuwaiti government planted a massive Forrest and named it after this lady as an honour to her for years to come

What an incredible lady, who insisted on planting the trees. And to the weatherman who is providing the best solution. Heroes.

I don’t understand how these people can walk around while wearing two layers of clothing and long sleeve shirts and long pants in a 125-degree weather. People will look at me weird if I walk around with a long sleeve shirt in a 90-degree weather here. They are probably sweating bullets underneath.

I love this lady. She was told it couldn't be done, but she did it anyway. I would hope there could be many more like her.

The lady planting trees needs a go fund me account for real. She needs to plant bamboo trees, those spread fast

Why you used social influencer, rich people, as your protagonist. Their life dont represent major people. It is disgusting. You should use common people.

I hope the tree project takes off, that woman has dedicated so much time and effort to it

What rubbish nonsense is this?? Showing a lady who is such a snob influencer.

I was in Saudi Arabia for 1 year.. really the heat is so disgusting. Only God knows the problem of immigrant house Maids and labour's . Sometimes sand storms are so disgusting

She does have the resources to leave Kuwait and live somewhere where her kids 'could have the childhood she had, where they can enjoy the outside' as she puts it. She says that she doesn't but if she has dual nationality, which I'll assume she does as her mother is American, the only reason she doesn't do this is because of the luxury job she has. This is a serious issue but I think getting someone with more credibility to come on was necessary

Hello, kuwaiti here. Lived my entire life in kuwait. Nothing worse than going to work while forced to park your car under no shade in this heat. By the time work is done, the inside of the car temperature reaches 60c and no amount of AC helps. Imagine almost every single day getting cooked alive like that. Its inhumane. I despise the idea of leaving home no matter how boring it gets.

Me myself as a Kuwaiti woman im really trying to save electricity and using reusable straws instead of plastic ones and tote bags instead of plastic bags. But the problem is the majority of people in Kuwait considering these things as copying foreigners. They are not aware of the things we are doing to our planet and the damages we are causing in the daily. Please be open minded to new ideas that can reduce pollution and global warming because we are literally getting fried alive. If you are not thinking of your self its fine its your body at the end of the day. But please think of the earth that your children will live in. 🌎

..the lady and her team who planted trees in Kuwait are real heroes in decreasing temperatures and motivating others to do the same..its really a concern for the entire world to overcome climate change..

Hard to feel bad for someone that seems to live pretty comfortably in the city in a nice apartment or whatever. You should talk about the people who cant afford to live like that and don't have AC. You wasted my time with Instagram person that no ones cares about. Don't feel bad for them I feel bad for the people who just have a hard time getting water and cooling off.

As a Canadian I’m grateful for the cold. You can always bundle up and add more clothes.

I feel really pity and helplessness for those migrant workers from Indian subcontinent who worked under this condition and under hostile bosses to build those magnificent building.

It's interesting to see how the influencer with maybe more money or 'influence' on people hasn't grown any plant on the ground in her country.

Its really not fair how people are criticizing the influencer. Shes talking from her own standpoint. She has a mid range mom car and a simple apartment. Shes not that outlandish kind of rich. And as a mother it does concern her that her kids like many other kids in her country are deprived of a normal outdoor life that every kid deserves. Why compare her to the other lady? Both of them have different journeys. The older lady has time and money to plant trees but she has two little kids and a career. Just because she spoke about her own problems does not mean she is inconsiderate of the poor. I find her to be a very genuine and honest person. The issues she is speaking about concern everybody and she herself mentioned she doesnt have money to take vacations to cooler countries in the summer. And you're all painting her like shes some princess. Y'all so bitter.

You'd think that if anywhere was suitable for solar energy... it would be here.

Instead of constructing concrete buildings, they need to start planting millions of trees!!

At 9:21 they left out the translation for her saying “SubhanaAllah” meaning, “Glory be to God" before saying, "look how it's grown.”

It's not responsible to keep a furry dog like that n such a hot environment. What next, a husky?!

Why don’t talk about kuwaits lack of investments in the green technology and kuwaits contribution to the climate crisis.

90% of this report was wasted on the influencer, while the more important and real influncer who should be the focus of the report got around 2 minutes or less. Good reporting BBC!

If you have a rock climbing gym in your apartment, you’re not struggling. BBC probably couldn’t get government permission to interview real people like laborers.

I hope the government there jump to help plant the forests border. That local lady is amazing truly inspiring. ❤️

There was an Italian farmer in Fresno California in the early 1900's who was faced with a similar heat issue. He started digging underground courtyards with tunnels connecting the spaces. Once he dug down about 30ft he was able to grow trees in the soil. I realize underground tunnels wouldnt be practical for a dense urban city. But, it looks like there is lots of dessert outside the cities that could grow lots of trees and homes underground if they just excavated down far enough. You can build entire homes underground with vent tubes in the ceiling that act as venturi tubes to constantly cycle cool air passively.

Really, BBC? You couldn't find someone struggling with heat but a rich "social media influencer"? What about the foreign immigrants who work in construction sites and tea Cafeterias? Om Naief, God bless you ma'am. I hope your words and efforts land on some listening ears in government bureaus.

I like that old lady, at least she is doing something to help. If everyone just did a little as she has done, I believe it would make a huge difference.

Rich spoiled girl complaining, whilst ordinary people are struggling

She’s keeping a car running for 30 mins to cool it down?! Not sure how sustainable that is 😂😭🙃

Completely artificial presentation of life in Kuwait and generally in the middle East. Very select few have these luxuries. The rest are starving.

الكويتيين قعد عليهم الوشم الحين.. شنو هذا 🤨لا حول ولا قوة إلا بالله نسأل الله بالهدايه للجميع المسلمين و العرب

As an influencer all you are doing is complaining. How about doing what the woman in the desert is doing. Use your "INFLUENCE" to bring more plants, trees and green areas to your city. If Kuwait wants to continue using fossil fuels for their enrichment ,then provide the same for your and the World's Environment.

I'm Irish I would actually end up dying if I stayed there a day or two. Just even looking at the city like no shelters or trees to even go under and tarmac everywhere. Looks like torture.

The influencer is this video is the epitome definition of privilege. Seems like BBC could not get a hold of the people building the country, the migrant labor workforce.

Kuwait is actually fueling their own heat... I did not see many solar panels to try to fight for a cooler climate either.

To me they just look too accustomed to luxury. 😄

The youtuber only lives in kuwait because you don’t pay any tax

See this is the problem with global warming. Not that your average country gets 1-2 degrees too hot. But that certain places in the world becomes absolutely unlivable. And then where will people go... To your country.

Did she take a lift to get to her bedroom? If yes then she should probably stay very quiet. 🤨

The influencer seemed extremely self cantered. It looks to me like she’s really well off and has “rooms” for her kids. I live in the U.K. and at the age of 26 cannot afford a place big enough to even consider having children. Where is the point of view of the poor people of Kuwait who don’t have “rooms”, ac and car?

Didn't they make all their vast wealth from fossil fuels?

The lady who planted tree is more practical than the lady living in AC.

i hated the influencer. so self centred and can't understand what she is talking about, the elder woman whom planted tree took the right steps and i salute her,

I've lived in many hot humid places through out Africa in my 50 years. Places where 40C° is normal in the hottest month (Feb), it has pushed the needle to 45C° every now and then but the average would be 35C° a temperature that became normal to me. As I got older it really got to me, you live and work in air conditioned places and seldomly venture outside, you don't even bother to swim because the water is too hot, it becomes ridiculous, you just dont get fresh air. We recently moved to a coastal town a couple of hours away from Cape Town and it is bliss. The winters are mild and we will have a 30C° plus summer's day now and then, it is mostly mild and cool in summer and I love it. I could never be able to live in this kind of heat in Kuwait even though I'm used to heat. Imagine 50C°!😰

I was in Dubai few years back in the height of summer .. I can honestly say as someone from Europe Iv never experienced heat like that .. It felt like being in an oven, even breathing in that heat was a struggle .. I feel sorry for anyone who has to live in that .. As its only going to get worse

The influencer is jarring to hear constantly complaining what about the people who are truly affected by the heat? The labour workers, maids etc why would you interview people who are least affected ?

A person like the tree planted lady, can change the society.

They live by the sea and certainly have a ridiculous amount of money to desalinate the water and move it to the desert. But having the latest expensive car is more important.

Look at the stark difference between the generations....the older woman selflessly using her own money to show its possible to make a change, and the millennial 'influencer' only worried about it the best lighting for photos happens to be during the hottest time of the day 🤦‍♂️

She is a great lady doing really something to save humanity. God bless her

How can you moan with air con everywhere coming out of a building for most would just be a dream. Should try working the fields in 40 degree heat to grow crop for consumption/ survival then they’ll appreciate what life is.

why did they choose the less relatable person in kuwait? Like "oh the heat effects me when i'm taking pictures" how are we suppose to empathise with that?

Imagine wearing a burkha in that temperature

For y'all who seem to want to be on a high horse in the comments, the heat we feel here is felt all over the country, from Kuwaitis to the Wafideen. Yes, we do have air conditioning, even in the poorer areas, but it doesn't mean we live comfortably all the time. We all would love to be able to go out and enjoy the fresh air, but we can't because of climate change, which I know we are basically helping making it worse. However, in order to force our government to actually push the economy away from oil, the world would need to collectively stop relying on it.

I lived in Kuwait for 3 Years, and believe me it is not as bad as people say it is. Even at 53 Degrees, you wouldn't drench in sweat and get dehydrated to your core due to the relatively low humidity. Sure Kuwait is very dry. but it is not as humid as Singapore, Malaysia and other equatorial countries. I am a Bangladeshi, and believe me the summers in Kuwait are much more tolerable than in my own country. IDK what that "influencer" was saying, but it never feels like the heat is sucking the life out of you

As a citizen of Kuwait, the weather is quite acceptable even in the hottest days where there are trees and shaded wet soil. We need more of that.

Marvellous! *It's a planet infested by pollution, ignorance and greed*

Kuwaiti here. From what I can see, currently we are having a warmer than usual winter. In the past, starting at the end of November temperature should drop, and rain come back again. Still hasn’t happened yet to the degree where it occurred in the past years. So, we’re probably going to have a shorter winter season this year. Hopefully not.

This was unwatchable with this instagram woman, it didnt seems real like she was representing kuwait, then her no accented english ugh show the real people

While I don't think interviewing a wealthy influencer was the best idea, I think people are being very unfair to her. She was asked to describe how the heat impacts her life and I think she did a good job at that.

Bro, going to school in Kuwait is very much like torture, you carry heavy bags in very lighten sunlight and heat u are experiencing, as a student in kuwait i've got used to it so its not much of a problem, and we got ACs so not a problem for the people who are used to it! :D

I was born in this country. I lived here all my live. Sure the heat is increasing. But even average people have ACs and cars it is the poor, the workers on road, the people who don't own cars who have to commute in the day are the one suffering. CLIMATE CHANGE IS REAL. We all need to play our part.