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Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

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Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#111

Post by tzs »

crispyporkbites wrote: post #67
xwdv wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If the world were a fine place worth fighting for, maybe you’d have a point. But increasingly, I just look around, see the news, see the social media, and think why bother? Humanity will never be anything more than this. Things seem to be wrapping up, don’t have kids, don’t try to save the world, just savor what is left till it’s gone. In the coming decades we will begin to see a loss in the knowledge of mankind, as…

Do you live on the same planet as me? The world is an incredible place and gets better every day! I look at my children and their experiences growing up and it’s far better than mine ever were. If I had the choice I’d be born today.

> Do you live on the same planet as me? The world is an incredible place and gets better every day!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJvJaad-LS4

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#112

Post by Faark »

tacLog wrote: post #43
hydroreadsstuff wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Slightly off-topic: Is there data on how many people don’t put children into our world because of this?

I don't know, but I really feel like we should be talking about this. Migrant cries and famines tend to cause war. It seems like a curl joke to raise a child in this world of plenty only to destroy it before their adulthood.

Arguably, keeping evolution going aka providing our offspring a good future is pretty much the only purpose of life. I don't have a problem with anyone choosing different goals for themselves, but the crowd advising "shouldn't have children because outlook not great" just seem crazy to me. We should do better exactly for those to come after us, so at best this mindset is the same as "giving up, to late" all over again, just in a less obvious form.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#113

Post by rv-de »

xwdv wrote: post #59
mikeash wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’re going straight from “we don’t really know if something is happening” to “it’s too late anyway so why bother” without going through the troublesome “we should try to stop this” phase.

If the world were a fine place worth fighting for, maybe you’d have a point. But increasingly, I just look around, see the news, see the social media, and think why bother? Humanity will never be anything more than this. Things seem to be wrapping up, don’t have kids, don’t try to save the world, just savor what is left till it’s gone. In the coming decades we will begin to see a loss in the knowledge of mankind, as…

I second this. Personally, I'd prefer to see the world working in unity to mitigate or even stop man made global warming, poverty, wars etc. won't happen, though. from a global perspective humanity is basically just a disease. I know it's rather cynical but I actually see a terrifying beauty in the vision of our civilization just fading away. I'm not looking at it from a moral perspective. the world is not a better place without us, but it isn't a better place with us either. I have difficulty understanding why someone would want to subject a child to this drama unfolding. most people seem to be living and thinking in some bubble it appears to me.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#114

Post by rv-de »

save_ferris wrote: post #89
crispyporkbites wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you live on the same planet as me? The world is an incredible place and gets better every day! I look at my children and their experiences growing up and it’s far better than mine ever were. If I had the choice I’d be born today.

I respectfully disagree here. The US has seen a sharp decline in children earning more than their parents. 90% of people born in 1940 earned more than their parents, compared to just 50% in 1985, a trend that we simply aren't doing enough to correct[0]. We're on our way to a new gilded age, but perhaps your kids will among the fortunate and not of the "useless class", as Yuval Harari would say. As technology and AI c…

what crispy means is that s/he is doing well.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#115

Post by Faark »

dfinninger wrote: post #90
rndgermandude wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The inside of my apartment peaked at 28°C when it was 40+°C outside. No AC. While that is still a little uncomfortable, I can power through that it it's just a week or two a year and blast a fan, and take a cold shower or two. As for some window-mounted (temporary) AC, no chance, I'd have to get permission to "build" it from the city first, which I won't unless it's a really good permanently installed one (so it cann…

I have an AC unit on rollers that has a hose out the window[1] to take the bite out of those hot days. Although I've recorded 38C inside my house... Seems like you insulation is a bit better. [1] https://www.homedepot.com/b/Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Cond...

Those single hose ones are a bit idiotic. They take air from around them (i.e. the room air they just cooled) to transfer heat into and move out. That will then replaced by air from the outside, transporting new heat inside.

Still better than nothing, and cheaper to buy / easier to use, but I'd hope this is one of those kind of tech we'll see replaced by something better rather soon-ish.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#116

Post by AnimalMuppet »

loup-vaillant wrote: post #88
andrewstuart wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this. Once many people come to accept the truth of this, many minds will think in directions other than obsessing about government and what it is not doing. People tend to disagree very strongly with new ideas. You can see that right here - this thread is voted to the bottom of the HN…

> I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this. Oh yes you do. Certainly you think we can have an alternative to government for a reason? Care to share that with us? Besides, government or no, the only way to fix the problem is through collective action. Not destroying our environment needs to be a social norm. Whatever is…

> > I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this.

> Oh yes you do. Certainly you think we can have an alternative to government for a reason? Care to share that with us?

He did. You didn't listen. He said that we need something beside the government, because the government isn't actually going to do anything (or at least not anything like enough).

So if you're going to argue with his position, I would ask you what evidence you see that the government will ever do anything close to enough to solve global warming? Because, as I look at the current situation, and the last 10 years, I'm with andrewstuart: government isn't going to get it done. That plan shows almost zero evidence that it will ever work.

Now, look, you should keep trying to get government to do what you think needs done. But don't put all your eggs in that basket, because it looks like it's a pretty lousy basket.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#117

Post by throwaway10928 »

RickS wrote: post #58
odiroot wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would you pay to install and maintain AC if we (in Central Europe) literally have 2 weeks of real hot summer (about a month recently though)? It would literally be a waste of money.

Window mounted AC units are $100 - $200. It sits in a closet except for the 2 months a year that Seattle requires AC. A proper central air system would be overkill, but the small one is worth it. I wonder if window / removable units factor into the DOE's 75% number. From a real estate recordkeeping perspective, my home does not have AC, despite the previous owner permanently building a window unit into the side of th…

With new housing built for optimizing energy intake with three-layer windows and 40cm thick insulation etc, slapping a $200 AC unit in a window seems like a dirty hack to put it mildly. It is common with centralized heating systems, so perhaps next step is to adapt centralized cooling systems. Short term I would put my money on moveable outside shades in front of windows, and large green outdoor plants on the balconies. Would also prefer bright colors on roads and building roofs to reflect light instead of turning it into heat.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#118

Post by loup-vaillant »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #116
loup-vaillant wrote: post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this. Oh yes you do. Certainly you think we can have an alternative to government for a reason? Care to share that with us? Besides, government or no, the only way to fix the problem is through collective action. Not destroying our environment needs to be a social norm. Whatever is…

> > I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this. > Oh yes you do. Certainly you think we can have an alternative to government for a reason? Care to share that with us? He did. You didn't listen. He said that we need something beside the government, because the government isn't actually going to do anything (or at least no…

> He did. You didn't listen. He said that we need something beside the government

I'm asking what. By what should governments be replaced? How? What should we do?

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#119

Post by asark »

tjr225 wrote: post #97
RickS wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Window mounted AC units are $100 - $200. It sits in a closet except for the 2 months a year that Seattle requires AC. A proper central air system would be overkill, but the small one is worth it. I wonder if window / removable units factor into the DOE's 75% number. From a real estate recordkeeping perspective, my home does not have AC, despite the previous owner permanently building a window unit into the side of th…

> except for the 2 months a year that Seattle requires AC Huh? 2 months out of the year AC is required ? Even if you can not, somehow, stand a week or two of 90-100 degree weather(with NO humidity!) without air conditioning, to months of required AC in Seattle seems like an insane exaggeration.

Lots of modern houses aren't built to function very well in temperature extremes. Windows are too small, don't open wide enough or at all, interior blocks too much airflow, insulation and sealing's too good. Certainly they don't give a damn about which way they're oriented when they plop 'em down, or which rooms are facing which way, or any of that. They're much worse to be in when it's very hot with no AC than an older house. And I write from experience you'll end up on the porch some nights even in those older houses, which ain't exactly fun or restful if you're not used to it and need to get up the next day and at least try to be productive.

Hell, modern interior woodwork and wooden furniture's not meant to take the heat either, for the most part. No tolerances for it, no attention to grain and such.

Re: Europe's record heat wave moves toward Greenland

#120

Post by AnimalMuppet »

loup-vaillant wrote: post #118
AnimalMuppet wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> > I don't agree that I need to come up with anything beyond raising the idea that we should stop thinking that government can/will solve this. > Oh yes you do. Certainly you think we can have an alternative to government for a reason? Care to share that with us? He did. You didn't listen. He said that we need something beside the government, because the government isn't actually going to do anything (or at least no…

> He did. You didn't listen. He said that we need something beside the government I'm asking what. By what should governments be replaced? How? What should we do?

We don't know. The point at the moment is that it needs to be replaced - that government is not going to take adequate action. "What should we do" is the next question, and a very good one.

I guess, if I were to pick one thing, I might say "install solar everywhere you can". Not only do you use less fossil-generated power, but you also help manufacturers ride the cost curve down, which makes more people consider installing it.

And by "everywhere you can", I mean some places were you can't actually install it, but you can nudge people that way. Suggest to your boss that they should install it at work. Mention it to the minister at church, or to the manager at the bar (or even both, if you regularly go both places).

Disclaimer: I don't have solar on my house yet...

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