Global warming / or why are temperatures getting so high (outwith Scotland)

[Sonam]

Having recently experienced totally insane temperatures of 45 Degrees Celcius in Delhi, comparing that to the times I was there before (1999, 2001, 2003, 2008 & 2009). I went at similar times of the year back then and it never felt quite as hot. Then reading about USA heat & wildfire. Also hearing about last year how unusually hot it got in places like France.

Then seeing what looks like a Trump climate denying soon to be President. That is really scary. While many in Scotland maybe happy that warm weather in Springtime makes it easier. Guess same goes for milder Autumn's (albeit possibly more rain) & winters.

Why the total apathy politically? Token occasional gestures it seems. Something is turning the dials up on the sun. Guess it really will affect those with children & grandchildren. Frightening really.

[Sonam]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/08/japan-heatstroke-alerts-heatwave-weather-death-toll

[Sonam]

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/heat-wave-map-tracker.html

[JS_FFC]

Climate change is undeniably happening. It’s disappointing to me that the entire discourse is around net zero to prevent it happening. The net zero stuff is good and necessary but it won’t make the problem go away.

 

Instead, we should be making preparations now to adapt to living under our new climate. For example, governments should be investing heavily in building houses explicitly designed to withstand extreme weather events. They should also be providing grants to people to install air conditioning systems in their homes as the 40 degree heat of two summers ago will become the norm in the UK and other countries with similar climates. 

[GordonS]

52 minutes ago, JS_FFC said:

Climate change is undeniably happening. It’s disappointing to me that the entire discourse is around net zero to prevent it happening. The net zero stuff is good and necessary but it won’t make the problem go away.

 

Instead, we should be making preparations now to adapt to living under our new climate. For example, governments should be investing heavily in building houses explicitly designed to withstand extreme weather events. They should also be providing grants to people to install air conditioning systems in their homes as the 40 degree heat of two summers ago will become the norm in the UK and other countries with similar climates. 

Air conditioning contributes to climate change, through high energy use and literally pumping hot air out into towns and cities, so a hard no to that.

Even in the hotter parts of Europe few homes have air conditioning, they rely on traditional building materials and techniques to keep houses cooler. We could learn a lot from places like the Alps and southern Germany where they build for both hotter summers and colder winters. 

[JS_FFC]

20 minutes ago, GordonS said:

Air conditioning contributes to climate change, through high energy use and literally pumping hot air out into towns and cities, so a hard no to that.

Even in the hotter parts of Europe few homes have air conditioning, they rely on traditional building materials and techniques to keep houses cooler. We could learn a lot from places like the Alps and southern Germany where they build for both hotter summers and colder winters. 

I don’t accept the premise of your comment. If the current air con systems are making the problem worse, scientists should be commissioned to produce one that doesn’t. 

[eez-eh]

20 minutes ago, JS_FFC said:

I don’t accept the premise of your comment. If the current air con systems are making the problem worse, scientists should be commissioned to produce one that doesn’t. 

Problem solved!

[GordonS]

19 minutes ago, JS_FFC said:

I don’t accept the premise of your comment. If the current air con systems are making the problem worse, scientists should be commissioned to produce one that doesn’t. 

How? Air conditioning works by pushing cold air one way and hot air the other. Your fridge does the same. If you can invent something that pushes cold air out without producing hot air, you'll be a billionaire.

In US cities air conditioning units can make the air temperature 1.5C higher, just through the hot air they push out. On top of that they are incredibly power-hungry and when they're running they're invariably the biggest user of electricity in a home.

[DeeTillEhDeh]

In Mexico right now.  We've were hit by Hurricane Beryl on Friday.

This was the earliest Category 5 hurricane in history caused by exceptionally high sea surface temperatures.

Usually, such strong storms only develop later in the season, after the seas have heated up through the summer.

Hurricanes generally need the sea surface to be at least 27C in order to have a chance of developing - waters along Hurricane Beryl’s path were much warmer than this.

The number of hurricanes has not been increasing, but a higher proportion of them are expected to reach the highest categories globally as temperatures rise.

[coprolite]

5 hours ago, GordonS said:

How? Air conditioning works by pushing cold air one way and hot air the other. Your fridge does the same. If you can invent something that pushes cold air out without producing hot air, you'll be a billionaire.

In US cities air conditioning units can make the air temperature 1.5C higher, just through the hot air they push out. On top of that they are incredibly power-hungry and when they're running they're invariably the biggest user of electricity in a home.

You just need to be creative. Why not use the hot air to fill balloons or power saunas? Maybe they can twin up hot and cold places, so the cold places just pipe in the heat and save money on their heating. It would be a good source of income for, say, Lagos to sell its spare heat to St Petersburg. 

[parsforlife]

7 hours ago, JS_FFC said:

Climate change is undeniably happening. It’s disappointing to me that the entire discourse is around net zero to prevent it happening. The net zero stuff is good and necessary but it won’t make the problem go away.

 

Instead, we should be making preparations now to adapt to living under our new climate.. 

We need both, but the drive to net zero(and beyond if we can) is the biggest thing,  otherwise we just end up chasing our tail trying to cope with a continuously growing problem.

BTW the big thing we need to prepare for(and not try stop) with climate like ours is the incoming wave of immigration on an unprecedented scale as the billlions in hotter climates try escape the death trap created, not how to make our homes slightly more comfortable short term in the summer.

Edited July 8 by parsforlife

[JS_FFC]

13 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

We need both, but the drive to net zero(and beyond if we can) is the biggest thing,  otherwise we just end up chasing our tail trying to cope with a continuously growing problem.

BTW the big thing we need to prepare for(and not try stop) with climate like ours is the incoming wave of immigration on an unprecedented scale as the billlions in hotter climates try escape the death trap created, not how to make our homes slightly more comfortable short term in the summer.

Have you heard the political discourse in this country at all? 

[GordonS]

35 minutes ago, coprolite said:

You just need to be creative. Why not use the hot air to fill balloons or power saunas? Maybe they can twin up hot and cold places, so the cold places just pipe in the heat and save money on their heating. It would be a good source of income for, say, Lagos to sell its spare heat to St Petersburg. 

I think the Time Capsule in Monklands uses hot air from the ice rink to help heat the swimming pool.

Build a swimming pool beside every ice rink and we'll be sorted.

[parsforlife]

35 minutes ago, JS_FFC said:

Have you heard the political discourse in this country at all? 

I'm fully aware of the discourse around immigration in this country, it's a load of shite built on lies and I won't give it credit.

[JS_FFC]

18 minutes ago, parsforlife said:

I'm fully aware of the discourse around immigration in this country, it's a load of shite built on lies and I won't give it credit.

You are completely correct. I just think it’s somewhat naive to think that the UK right are just going to drop decades of discourse on immigration and welcome millions of climate refugees with open arms (even though they absolutely should be doing that in a scenario where hotter countries become uninhabitable).

 

Future Nigel Farage’s will absolutely argue for just letting people die.

[parsforlife]

Just now, JS_FFC said:

You are completely correct. I just think it’s somewhat naive to think that the UK right are just going to drop decades of discourse on immigration and welcome millions of climate refugees with open arms (even though they absolutely should be doing that in a scenario where hotter countries become uninhabitable).

 

Future Nigel Farage’s will absolutely argue for just letting people die.

I agree 100% with that.  They will argue for people to die, they already do with their disgusting attitude to the RNLI, they get genuinely pissed off that someone voluntarily went out to sea, in waters that are causing another vessel harm and rescue those on board without checking their passports first. 

[Sonam]

7 hours ago, GordonS said:

Air conditioning contributes to climate change, through high energy use and literally pumping hot air out into towns and cities, so a hard no to that.

Even in the hotter parts of Europe few homes have air conditioning, they rely on traditional building materials and techniques to keep houses cooler. We could learn a lot from places like the Alps and southern Germany where they build for both hotter summers and colder winters. 

In Delhi A/C buying has gone through the roof. Could I have survived without A/C? Not a chance in Hell!

While I have been guilty of contributing to this, my flying (used to be an International School Teacher). The biggest contribution I have given to 'offset' this, tongue in cheek of course, not having any children.

[Sonam]

Cannot put into words just how totally scary the heat in Delhi was. My friends Pigeons were dying in front of me in the heat. He told me this never used to happen. Poor people dying in the streets. 

Won't probably happen in Scotland, but watch out India, Pakistan, USA etc.

[Rael Rover]

1 hour ago, GordonS said:

I think the Time Capsule in Monklands uses hot air from the ice rink to help heat the swimming pool.

Build a swimming pool beside every ice rink and we'll be sorted.

Bowmore swimming pool in Islay is heated by the distillery next door.

[Todd_is_God]

9 hours ago, JS_FFC said:

Climate change is undeniably happening. It’s disappointing to me that the entire discourse is around net zero to prevent it happening. The net zero stuff is good and necessary but it won’t make the problem go away.

 

Instead, we should be making preparations now to adapt to living under our new climate. For example, governments should be investing heavily in building houses explicitly designed to withstand extreme weather events. They should also be providing grants to people to install air conditioning systems in their homes as the 40 degree heat of two summers ago will become the norm in the UK and other countries with similar climates. 

There is a point blank refusal to accept that any changes in the climate are anything other than man made.

Until that happens no actual advancements will be made, but plenty of money will be.