Sir, – I confess to growing weary of this relentless assault from the sun, which appears determined to dry, scorch and exhaust my already weary constitution.I have always promised myself that I would never complain about the weather. After all, our famous “soft days” – the gentle rain on the window, the quiet mist, the breeze that wanders in and reminds us we live on an island at the edge of the Atlantic – seem far more fitting companions to our green land.But this blazing presence overhead feels strangely out of place. The sun has arrived with the confidence of someone who owns the house, when really it is only a guest who has forgotten the time.I long for the familiar comforts: the rain that catches you without an umbrella, the wind that finds every gap in your coat, the reassuring knowledge that the weather is doing exactly what Irish weather has always done – changing its mind.May it not be long before I am once again wringing the dampness from my socks and feeling the bite of a cold breeze upon my face.That’s my Ireland. – Yours, etc.GEOFF SCARGILL,BrayCo Wicklow.Sir, – I could not agree more with Ola Løkken Nordrum (Letters, June 25th) when he states that, “The media must stop framing extreme heat as a leisure opportunity and connect the dots between the climate crisis and worsening heatwaves”.The photographs published by The Irish Times today of ice-cream vans and crowded beaches are an example of what he is objecting to. It seems to me that those who celebrate our abnormally hot weather, which is a result of climate change, are comparable to someone, who likes sitting by an open fire, enthusiastically warming their hands at a merry blaze while ignoring the fact that it is in fact their own house which is burning down. Nordrum says that it’s time to get our heads out of the sand and treat heat as the public health crisis it is, both in Ireland and around the world. Unfortunately, when it comes to burying our heads in the sand, it appears that we humans are exceptionally good. The results of this “talent” will, conversely, be exceptionally bad, not just for us, but for our entire planet. – Yours, etc.KATHERINE QUIRKE,Dún Laoghaire,Co Dublin.Sir, – Katie Mellett reported on June 25th that Wednesday was the fifth busiest day in London Ambulance Service’s history.This reminded me of the deadly impact of Covid at its outset in 2020 and a general lack of preparedness for a pandemic. So when will the climate emergency be prioritised and treated as an emergency with the roll-out of practical measures that aims to minimise the negative health impact on communities? – Yours, etc,MARK FOX,Dublin 18.Sir, – There has been widespread discussion of the impact of the current heatwave on cities such as Paris. While fully recognising the misery that the heat is inflicting especially on residents of tower blocks in the banlieues, credit should nonetheless be given to the recently retired mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, for her foresight in spearheading an initiative that led to the planting of over 200,000 trees that provide shelter, beauty and carbon storage throughout the city. Could this inspire a similar tree-planting campaign in our towns and cities here in Ireland? – Yours, etc, GRACE NEVILLE,Sunday’s WellCorkSir, – Would someone please take in the Child of Prague? – Yours, etc,CIANA CAMPBELL,Ennis,Co Clare.