Weather WTF

[Baron von Schtinkenbutt]

I forgot how heavy the upper Midwest is.  I also discount how light South Florida is.  You'd think I'd know better.

[Syt]

[Valmy]

41 degrees in France? Are they finally just going to give in and install air conditioning?

[Sheilbh]

41 degrees in France? Are they finally just going to give in and install air conditioning?

Heading to Bordeaux which looks like the epicentre in two weeks

Mentioned elsewhere but I travelled from Liverpool to London today and I can promise you the difference felt like so much more than 3 degrees between 26 and 29 - that's wild. Liverpool was very fresh, lovely breeze off the Mersey, occasionally needed a jacket. London very still, very muggy and needed my fan on this afternoon to try and generate a breeze.

FWIW the UK Climate Change Committee has said we need to start adopting AC (ideally powered by renewables/low carbon electricity) as cooling is becoming a problem. I bang on about it but WHO estimates are that 150-200,000 Europeans (overwhelmingly elderly and vulnerable) die because of inadequate cooling and it is insane we tolerate that instead of using AC on a warming planet (especially as opposition is often justified on kind of environmental grounds).

[Duque de Bragança]

41 degrees in France? Are they finally just going to give in and install air conditioning?

Hopefully not, I'd rather sweat a bit than be sick due to A/C. 
Remember, we don't have that much humidity here.

Bordeaux is used to the heat.

North of the Loire, some persiennes and proper insulation, as in some of it, plus people knowing when to open and close windows, would be enough for most houses and habitation buildings. Plus avoiding tourist-like behaviour as in doing exercise during maximum heat.

Hospitals and retirement homes being a special case, but then the govt might want less pensions to pay, so dying by heat or repeated respiratory diseases does not change that much.

[garbon]

41 degrees in France? Are they finally just going to give in and install air conditioning?

Hopefully not, I'd rather sweat a bit than be sick due to A/C. 
Remember, we don't have that much humidity here.

Bordeaux is used to the heat.

North of the Loire, some persiennes and proper insulation, as in some of it, plus people knowing when to open and close windows, would be enough for most houses and habitation buildings. Plus avoiding tourist-like behaviour as in doing exercise during maximum heat.

Hospitals and retirement homes being a special case, but then the govt might want less pensions to pay, so dying by heat or repeated respiratory diseases does not change that much.

Don't be ridiculous.

[HVC]

At this point it's like the Koreans and fans in closed rooms causing deaths

[Duque de Bragança]

41 degrees in France? Are they finally just going to give in and install air conditioning?

Hopefully not, I'd rather sweat a bit than be sick due to A/C. 
Remember, we don't have that much humidity here.

Bordeaux is used to the heat.

North of the Loire, some persiennes and proper insulation, as in some of it, plus people knowing when to open and close windows, would be enough for most houses and habitation buildings. Plus avoiding tourist-like behaviour as in doing exercise during maximum heat.

Hospitals and retirement homes being a special case, but then the govt might want less pensions to pay, so dying by heat or repeated respiratory diseases does not change that much.

Don't be ridiculous.

Denying facts such as A/C making people sick is ridículous.
Plus, massive use of A/C will trigger higher temperatures by 2 degrees on average, in big cities, the ones not designed with summer heat in mind.
It's not as of the Hiberno-British of archipelago needs it anyways, unlike insulation or proper plumbing, but I digress.

[HVC]

AC is used in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia without massive outbreaks of AC related illnesses. Either Europeans have an unusually weak constitution or its a old wives tale that won't die... well until the heat kills off all the old wives

[Duque de Bragança]

AC is used in North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia without massive outbreaks of AC related illnesses. Either Europeans have an unusually weak constitution or its a old wives tale that won't die... well until the heat kills off all the old wives

 

Not the same climate in those places compared to the British Isles.
Plus, there is A/C in Southern Europe but not mismanaged as in mesothermal Europe.
Thermal shocks NA-style from 15 inside to 35-40 C outside, no thanks.

[HVC]

Who the hell keeps their house at 15

And the uk is turning into the southern Europe of old

[Duque de Bragança]

Who the hell keeps their house at 15

And the uk is turning into the southern Europe of old

I see no persianas in the UK
And the Brits are still getting lobster-faced whenever there is some heat.

[Sheilbh]

Yeah and to be clear there are very few deaths from overheating every year in Northern America. There are 150-200k a year in Europe - or to put that in context more people people than are killed by guns in the US. They're overwhelmingly elderly and vulnerable. They're overwhelmingly in Southern Europe - it's not Brits getting a bit sunburnt or who are dying.

I find the opposition to AC which boils down to aesthetics (it's just a bit gauche) insane when it's killing people. A failure to have heating in countries that regularly have cold winters would be seen as a disgrace and failure of development. The failure to have cooling in countries that regularly have hot summers is the same. It's a failure to protect people from environmental conditions, that are only going to get worse because of climate change by a continent that considers itself a leader on climate change - it's insane.

[Duque de Bragança]

Those old people are also very sensitive to the cold.
I get a sore throat, they get a pneumonia.
Plus Southern Europe already  has A/C, plus cities designed for the heat.
Insulation could be improved, though.
Assuming your figures are true, they just prove A/C does not work.

Now, healthcare in general is not that great for the elderly, though still better than in the US obviously, with its lack of free or affordable healthcare.

[HVC]

So what you're saying is that if Europe liberalizes gun laws these old people could die from gun shot wounds before they have to suffer an agonizing death by heat? intriguing solution sheilbh.