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Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

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Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#101

Post by athenot »

donatj wrote: post #82
jijijijij wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do not understand the issue at hand. Whatever you experienced was way less severe, because evaporative cooling obviously was still possible. There is a point where you simply cannot cool yourself passively. That's the point where survival is at risk regardless of health. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-bulb_temperature

Having a rag of cold water on you will cool you regardless of evaporation. It is a thing that is cooler than the environment. The water from our taps at least is a pretty constant like 50°F

In Atlanta the tap water in summer is more like 22°C (72°F), which is coincidentally the average nighttime temperature.

I could imagine that a place where the nighttime temperatures are in the mid 30s (°C) would not have any cooler water available.

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#102

Post by varelse »

FrustratedMonky wrote: post #24
sgu999 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is the plot of the Ministry for the Future [0]. Power failure during a prolonged wet bulb temperature above 35°C, millions of dead. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ministry_for_the_Future

Also. Termination Shock, Stephenson. In Texas there was AC failures, and people needed Earth Suits (like a space suit with air conditioning) to survive.

Ministry For The Future was far too optimistic. Termination Shock presents how late stage capitalism and the accelerationists would team up to make money on half-baked science to save the planet. The West will probably be fine but we're going to make Mao and Stalin look like amateur hour mass murderers when we finally save our own butts.

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#103

Post by Hikikomori »

donatj wrote: post #82
jijijijij wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You do not understand the issue at hand. Whatever you experienced was way less severe, because evaporative cooling obviously was still possible. There is a point where you simply cannot cool yourself passively. That's the point where survival is at risk regardless of health. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet-bulb_temperature

Having a rag of cold water on you will cool you regardless of evaporation. It is a thing that is cooler than the environment. The water from our taps at least is a pretty constant like 50°F

Do you believe everyone has that available on tap?

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#104

Post by torstenvl »

ethanbond wrote: post #99
donatj wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having a rag of cold water on you will cool you regardless of evaporation. It is a thing that is cooler than the environment. The water from our taps at least is a pretty constant like 50°F

Nice living in the wealthiest country in human history, ain’t it. Do you think this is the case for the billions of people closer to the equator or in poorer countries?

[flagged]

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#105

Post by greedo »

leoedin wrote: post #12
cromulent wrote: post #2

A friend of mine who lives in Queensland (Sunshine Coast) was talking about a recent spell of 32° and 100% humidity and how oppressive it was. My understanding is that such weather is not survivable long term [1] without air conditioning. A power failure would be disastrous. [1] https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/humans-cant-endure-t...

It is scary - but I suspect the headline temperatures/humidity aren't the only story. We can build passive structures to regulate peak temperatures - caves and windowless insulated boxes with high thermal mass, for instance. As long as the average temperatures (day and night) over a few days or a week are survivable, active cooling isn't strictly necessary.

Not really sure most will want to live like the folks in the Silo TV series.

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#106

Post by petrocrat »

tejohnso wrote: post #93
slashdev wrote: post #89

Cold kills more people according to the literature [1]. Heat deaths are rising, cold deaths are falling. Not in the same places though. Countries near the equator are going to suffer more than countries at higher latitudes. Demand for air conditioning is expected to more than triple by 2050 (consuming as much electricity as all of China and India today). [2] [1] https://www.thinkglobalhealth.org/article/hot-cold-and-…

> Demand for air conditioning is expected to more than triple by 2050 Which further exacerbates the problem. Another unfortunate feedback loop for us.

Though demand for heating should be falling simultaneously, no? I wonder what the net CO2 tradeoff is there. At least historically with burning fuels to create heat, that likely contributed more per unit of degree-change than AC, however with Heat pumps now that's probably either a wash or reversed, if I had to guess.

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#108

Post by bloomingeek »

mr_person wrote: post #34
cromulent wrote: post #2

A friend of mine who lives in Queensland (Sunshine Coast) was talking about a recent spell of 32° and 100% humidity and how oppressive it was. My understanding is that such weather is not survivable long term [1] without air conditioning. A power failure would be disastrous. [1] https://www.psu.edu/news/research/story/humans-cant-endure-t...

Can confirm. Its disgusting. I am also a grumpy fart right now because the night time temperature has not dropped below 20degrees since, like, November[1]. If I tried to aircon that like I do most of the day time, I would wake up a sinusy coughing mess... Sure, 30degrees and 90+ humidity is survivable, but only just. [1] https://7news.com.au/news/brisbane-set-to-break-record-of-da...

And how could you get any work done? I worked in the oilfields when I was in my early twenty's, if the temp was over 100F, less work got done because we didn't want to die. I knew men who got heat stroke, they were never the same again. I myself got heat exhaustion several times, it took a few days to recover. Our bodies can only take so much, no matter how tough you are, wet rags and frequent breaks don't always work.

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#109

Post by carlosjobim »

hackerlight wrote: post #53
codebolt wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or the hysteria was overblown, and we instead sabotaged an opportunity for many of the people living near the equator to become more prosperous.

Easy gamble to make when you don't live in a country with regular 33'c temperatures at 60% humidity. And if your gamble turns out wrong will you compensate the victims? Will you advocate for borders to be opened up as they have to flee their countries?

[flagged]

Re: Humanity Is Dangerously Pushing Its Ability to Tolerate Heat

#110

Post by ethanbond »

torstenvl wrote: post #104
ethanbond wrote: post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nice living in the wealthiest country in human history, ain’t it. Do you think this is the case for the billions of people closer to the equator or in poorer countries?

[flagged]

Good point. Once you look past ideology, water is everywhere to be found.

“You just dig up water! Duh!” - Person from The Land of 10,000 Lakes

Brilliant. Couldn’t make it up.

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