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Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

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Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#61

Post by Brakenshire »

y4mi wrote: post #9
henrik_w wrote: post #4

No mention of climate change in the article.

I was talking about climate change with a co-worker on Monday. He still doesn't "believe" in it. "Nobody can know if it's happening" and "earth went through countless high and low temperature passes over the years. It's nothing special" It was a great example of today's reality we live in. It's truly an age of misinformation.

Unfortunately you repeat anything enough times and people will pick up on it, even if it goes against what is self-evident. Even something you can explain in 5 minutes like the connection between the concentration of greenhouses gases and warming.

It’s probably quite a good lesson for everyone, a lot of our beliefs aren’t reached through some process from first principles, they are accepted from what appears to be normal. Our understanding of the world is really not much better than the sources for news and analysis we and those around us expose ourselves to.

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#63

Post by purerandomness »

AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #44

> French energy company EDF stated that it would shut down two nuclear reactors in an attempt to limit the amount of heating water used to keep the reactors cool at Golftech nuclear power plant. I don't see why that would be a necessary or even good thing? Surely they must have higher demand for power from AC loads with the heat, even if AC isn't quite as prevalent in the EU as the US.

France is EU's top energy exporter [0]

[0] https://www.reuters.com/article/france-electricity/french-20...

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#64

Post by sangnoir »

criddell wrote: post #48
gilbetron wrote: post #10

Not only broke it, destroyed it: +2.2C (+4.0F). That's incredible, in a terrifying, "well, I guess this is going to happen" kind of way.

If every disaster contains opportunities, what are they here? The obvious thing would be investing in green technology, but what else? Are HVAC equipment producers about to see a big uptick in sales?

Vast swathes of land in Russia that have been frigid are becoming arable. Lots of formerly inland properties will become seafront all around the world - invest wisely!

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#65

Post by atourgates »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #32
b_tterc_p wrote: post #19

Do heatwaves pose a threat to local fauna and flora?

Yes, they can be devistating to agriculture as well. Animals are just as susceptible to heat stroke and dehydration. Plants are of course similarly susceptible to extreme temperatures. There are tactics farmers can apply such as coating their crops but there are limits.

This is highly dependent on the crop, and when in the plant's growth cycle the heat comes.

For example, crops like wheat benefit from a hot dry period when they get close to harvest time. Same for some vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and eggplant.

The challenge isn't so much that high heat (to an extent) and agriculture is incompatible, it's that unexpected high-heat, or high heat at unexpected times can be damaging.

Don't think that I'm downplaying the risk of climate change to agriculture, there are plenty of very serious negative effects that climate change will have on agriculture, but warmer temperatures on their own, at least at this range, aren't directly a huge issue if they're expected.

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#66

Post by mempko »

arm64future wrote: post #34
y4mi wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was talking about climate change with a co-worker on Monday. He still doesn't "believe" in it. "Nobody can know if it's happening" and "earth went through countless high and low temperature passes over the years. It's nothing special" It was a great example of today's reality we live in. It's truly an age of misinformation.

>He still doesn't "believe" in it. Here's a clue: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7139797.stm

It's called a forecast. So what if they are off by only 10 years? Does it matter? Because it's certainly going to be ice-free way before 2100.

http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/charctic-interactive-sea-i...

This year is looking like it will set the record for lowest yet. My guess is that it will be ice-free in September within 5 years because it's an exponential decay. Note "ice-free" is agreed to mean less than 1mil square kilometers.

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#68

Post by ilikehurdles »

stirfrykitty wrote: post #49
hestipod wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Guess some Texans have seen your post ;) Not in TX myself but after a recent Texas-like heat/humidity wave I found myself thinking how much more energized and comfortable I felt after it left, but it was still subjectively quite a high temperature. Such oppressive heat really does affect your quality of life in a big way. I lived in Europe for many years without air conditioning and was never more than mildly uncomfo…

Good comment. I loathe Texas, but I'm here because of the wife and her family. I would prefer to live someplace where it's overcast 90% of the time, and where it rains at least twice a week. I also prefer snow on the ground for a couple of months. Here in the Houston area, the heat, humidity, insects, and sheer amounts of concrete all contribute to the lack of comfort. Moreover, there are too many people here all sho…

Maybe I'm biased, but take a look at Denver as a compromise? It doesn't fit all of your preferences (it's very sunny and the snow melts quickly), but it's also very low humidity, convenient to snowy towns in the mountains, and we've pretty much had at least a few minutes of rain every day for the last month or two.

There are also a ton of ex-Texans here.

Re: Paris breaks all-time high temperature as deadly heat wave grips Europe

#70

Post by supertrope »

AdamJacobMuller wrote: post #44

> French energy company EDF stated that it would shut down two nuclear reactors in an attempt to limit the amount of heating water used to keep the reactors cool at Golftech nuclear power plant. I don't see why that would be a necessary or even good thing? Surely they must have higher demand for power from AC loads with the heat, even if AC isn't quite as prevalent in the EU as the US.

They just don’t have the cooling capacity on the hottest days.
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