Heat traps: enclosure, rhythm, and nocturnal care under extreme heat in Rio de Janeiro

This paper explores how extreme heat reconfigures everyday care practices in Rio de Janeiro, focusing on mothers and carers of children. Conducted through ethnographic fieldwork and co-produced heat diaries from five participants, with broader reference to 77 interviews, the study documents experiences across inner-city favelas and peripheral municipalities during two consecutive Brazilian summers (2023–2025). Participants, predominantly Black and Brown women on low- to lower-middle incomes, shared multimodal accounts of bodily sensations, adaptation strategies, and daily routines via WhatsApp. The analysis centres on how heat disrupts daily rhythms, contracts accessible space, and intensifies embodied caregiving, using thematic analysis and rhythmanalytical frameworks to interpret the data.

The study finds that extreme heat produces “heat traps”—spaces that confine without adequate cooling—forcing carers and children indoors or into nocturnal activity. This leads to a cumulative, dysrhythmic reorganization of care: daytime labour is intensified while many practices are postponed to the cooler night. Night-time thus becomes the only liveable timespace, but this extension erodes opportunities for rest and recovery. The burden falls disproportionately on women, especially those caring for children with specific needs, and depends on access to cooling infrastructure and safe neighbourhoods. The authors recommend that policy recognize extreme heat as a disruption to social reproduction—not just a climatic or medical hazard—and address the around-the-clock labour carers absorb, calling for equitable access to cooling, public space, and infrastructural support in adaptation strategies.