• meme_historian@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    2 months

    Let me put it this way:

    My grandparents built a brick house in the early 1950’s in northern Germany. My parents built on that foundation and doubled the size in the late 1980’s. Air conditioning was not a thing back then. You just didn’t need it at all.

    For decades this house has kept a relatively cool 24-25°C (~75°F) during peak summer months. Just due to the way it was built.

    That hasn’t been true for the past ~10 years anymore.

    And it’s the same with almost all German infrastructure. Our traditional ways of building things are not fit for the frequent high heatwaves we’ve been experiencing this last decade. Even hospitals are generally not AC’d except for maybe ER and operating rooms. It’s fucking miserable

  • floquant@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    2 months

    Yep, and Americans answering with “we’re ok because we have AC” is a Don’t Look Up moment

    • grandma@sh.itjust.works
      2 months

      It’s definitely not ok, but when treating the root cause will take decades if not centuries (which we absolutely should still do), perhaps it makes sense to look into treating the symptoms as well

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        2 months

        The problem is that treating the root cause is not profitable. So it will never happen. Ever.

        • sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip
          2 months

          That’s not true. There is plenty of profit to be made with selling stuff that helps reduce energy use, selling energy that uses less fossil fuel (or produces less CO2), undercutting competition with more efficient methods, etc.

          The tech world talks a big game about disruption and making billions or even trillions from it. You don’t think there are people who want to make trillions disrupting fossil energy companies?

    • Kirp123@lemmy.world
      2 months

      I sure hope their electricity grid can handle it when everyone turns on the AC and data centers also start pulling extra because it’s so hot.

      • grandma@sh.itjust.works
        2 months

        At least in my country (Netherlands) the neoliberals have decided every single fucking thing needs to turn a consistent profit and the company who handles the grid is only allowed to upgrade when there is “utility and necessity” which in essence means any time they want to upgrade in anticipation of future demand everyone involved drags their feet.

        The result of that policy is that now there is a ridiculous waiting list for commercial grid connections and there are plans to also restrict new high capacity residential connections. For a country that has been run by businessmen for the past 20 years we sure seem to have an awful lack of long-term vision.

        Don’t even get me started on the attitude that people here have towards A/C. We don’t live in a country that’s only hot for 1 week a year anymore but lots of ppl just won’t accept that. I guess it’s climate coping/denial combined with wanting to feel superior to Americans.

        We will be cooked (literally)

        EDIT: I just remembered that yesterday they unexpectedly had to cut power to 10000 homes for 14 minutes and it wasn’t even a hot day.

        • LittleBorat3@lemmy.world
          2 months

          Business men are myopic and not strategic for 30 years into the future? I am so shocked! 🙀 😲

          They optimized their profit, just not yours you gotta understand. I.e the money is not gone it’s just somewhere else.

      • sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip
        2 months

        Even in the U.S., we use a lot more energy heating homes than cooling homes. Around 43% of our total in-home energy usage is on heating, and about 8% is on cooling.

        Heat waves don’t cause nearly as big of a strain on our grid as winter storms, because AC doesn’t consume as much energy as even our efficient heat pumps in the winter.

        That’s because a heat pump that can lower the temperature by 10°-15°C is really all you need in the hottest part of the summer, whereas in the winter raising the temperature 25°C isn’t uncommon.

        • dingus@lemmy.worldEnglish
          1 month

          Really? This is wild. I’m in a hot part of the US and it’s 95F/35C and humid daily here. I’m honestly really surprised with how much AC blasts here that heating still takes up the majority of nationwide energy consumption.

          • sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip
            1 month

            Just think about it in terms of the number of people and number of days per year where they need to raise the indoor temperature by a certain amount, compared to the number of people and days needing to lower the temperature.

            If you’re looking at a place where it’s 95°F during the day and 85°F at night, and you like to set the temperature to 75°F, you’re only cooling it 10-20°F by time of day.

            But if you’re looking at a place where it’s 35°F during the day and 15°F at night, and you want to heat things up to 65°F, you’ve gotta change the temperature by 30-50°F throughout the day.

            Even when you’re comparing absurdly hot weather to absurdly cold weather, you’re still comparing something like 110°F to 0°F. You’re still looking at a 70°F swing versus a 35°F swing towards comfort.

            Throw in the fact that combustion of fuels (fossil fuels like heating oil or natural gas, or other fuels like wood in a fireplace) is usually only about 1/3 or 1/4 as energy efficient than the equivalent temperature change by heat pump, and you can see how much more energy intensive the typical indoor heating setup is compared to the typical indoor cooling setup.

            Some of it is obscured by the fact that fossil fuels are much cheaper per unit energy than electricity from the grid, so that heating bills aren’t as expensive in the same ratio, but in terms of actual energy used, it’s a big difference.

    • InFerNo@lemmy.ml
      2 months

      No idea why that’s such a hot take by them. So many people have AC here. Houses, establishments, public areas, and increasing for obvious reasons.

      AC here are nearly always split units though. Our windows don’t slide up, so harder to install that type of AC unit that sits on the sill.

      • prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone
        2 months

        You know what extreme heat can also cause? Blackouts.

        And it happens all of the time because of the increased load on the grid from everyone cranking their AC.

        Your AC is useless without power.

        • PagPag@lemmy.world
          2 months

          My house is fully off grid with a 36kW solar system and 86kWh battery setup. There are times where I can get down to the wire but ultimately that’s when it’s a prolonged rain /storm scenario.

          The hotter it is the more likely the sun is shining, so I have zero concerns about a blackout situation. Realize this isn’t viable for most people but I sure am glad I took the plunge.

  • HrabiaVulpes@europe.pub
    2 months

    If not for the gulf stream (a constant sea water movement) Europe would be much colder and Northern America much warmer. I wonder if climate warming could potentially stop this gulf stream

    • GelatinGeorge@lemmy.world
      2 months

      The AMOC (Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation) is now creaking under the weight of all that Pacific heat in the ocean. If that goes - which is looking increasingly likely within the next 25-50 years - then sayonara Gulf Stream and Europe can look forward to what’s likely to be extremely sub-zero winter temperatures and soaring summer temperatures.

      I’m in the UK and I’ve bought an extra pair of mitts and a hand fan, so I’ll be laughing

      • LumiNocta@lemmy.zip
        2 months

        What are we talking about when you say extremely sub zero. As in -20c or colder?

        • JcbAzPx@lemmy.worldEnglish
          2 months

          Let’s just put it this way. It is what was thought to have triggered previous ice ages.

            • REDACTED@infosec.pub
              2 months

              Very serious topic about dying earth, climate change, etc

              “yo we have the same cake day!”

              Idk why, but this made me laugh too much

              • luciferofastora@feddit.org
                2 months

                A little whimsy to make the world more bearable. Idk where I heard the advice, but:

                When you walk past a flower, stop and appreciate it. The weight of your worries will wait patiently, so take your time.

        • sparkyshocks@lemmy.zip
          2 months

          I was flabbergasted the first time I realized just how far north Europe is, compared to North America.

          Paris is at 48° 51’ N, significantly further north than Toronto (43° N), Montreal (45° N). London is at 51°N 30’, which is further north than Vancouver (49° N), and just slightly further north than Calgary (51°N).

          Even southern European cities like Ibiza (39° N) are at comparable latitudes to northern American cities like Philadelphia (40°N) or even New York (41°N).

          If Europe starts seeing climate comparable to similar latitudes in North America, that would represent a huge change from the recorded history.