Sometimes comedians come too close to the truth. There are people who, it seems, truly thinks that the “solution” for climate change is something like Futurama’s ice cubes into the sea …
Absurd, no?
Well aligned with what climate science tells us will be happening with increasing frequency, there are a number of regions that have been going through seriously scary heat waves. Forget “scary”, how about seriously deadly?
The death toll from a weeklong heat wave in Karachi, Pakistan, has risen to 1,233, officials told the Associated Press Saturday. Some 65,000 people flooded the city’s hospitals to be treated for heat stroke, and about 1,900 patients were still receiving medical care as the country began to cool off.
…
… temperatures climbing to 113 degrees Fahrenheit
And, Pakistan is not along with extreme heat …
To this, Judith Curry has a rather straightforward (Futurama-ish?) response:
Looks like they need more air conditioning in Spain and France and also South Asia. [and the western United States …]
Does it make more sense to provide air conditioning or to limit CO2 emissions. I vote for more air conditioning in these susceptible regions.
While good, perhaps, for HVAC manufacturers, this ‘solution’ for a climate-change driven trend for more and worsened heat waves is like dropping ice cubes into the ocean …
And, like dropping ice cubes into the ocean, there are just a few complexities to consider …
Karachi’s power grid also collapsed, leaving thousands without air conditioning in a city already facing power cuts and water shortages.
So, the answer to ever-worsening heat waves should be increasing energy demands … often in areas with poor to utterly inadequate energy services.
Too many climate disinformers/delayers engage in a related sleight of hand: they decry “Energy Poverty” as part of a subterfuge effort to support increased global reliance on and use of polluting fossil fuels (primarily in support of burning coal). “Energy Poverty” is a real thing — but the solution set(s) are to be found elsewhere than promoting the burning of coal.
In any event, welcome to today’s Futurama episode courtesy of Judith ‘Marie Antoinette’ Curry:
Let them buy air conditioners.
Yup, let’s tell people, businesses, countries
- to buy air conditioners
- to keep people cool in ever-worsening heat waves as a path
- to worsen energy poverty challenges and
- to worsen our climate change challenges.
It does sound like something more suitable for a comedy show than serious intellectual dialogue.
UPDATE NOTE: For a more serious response as to why the actual response is more complicated — and actually can include some additional air conditioning — see Mitigation + Adaptation required re #climate: heat waves require clean energy + a/c …
UPDATE: For those interested in exploring Judith Curry’s “science”, here are a few relevant discussions:
- Tackling the illogic of “Judith Curry[‘s] reasons for not believing that global warming is exacerbating heat waves”, Tamino, What’s wrong with this picture?
- “indicators that Curry doesn’t know, or can’t recognize, what scepticism is.” Collin Maessen, Judith Curry: What Is Skepticism, Anyway?
- How Curry’s perspective on ‘risk’ differs between weather and climate. Collin Maessen, Judith Curry’s Risk Hypocrisy and Sou The Precautionary Principle in Atlanta, Georgia
- Engaging with Curry as to Arctic temperatures, Tamino, Judith Curry responds … sort of
- Judith Curry has dived deeply into denialism, Sou, Judith Curry picks a cherry in her motivated recycled denial
- A look at “Judith Curry’s conspiracy ideation” by Sou in Confessions of deniers at Judith Curry’s blog
3 responses so far ↓
1 Ugo Bardi // Jul 2, 2015 at 11:32 am
Just as a note, poor Marie Antoinette most likely never said “let them eat cake”. It was just propaganda against her. But the concept applies to Judity Curry, who is not an innocent victim of a propaganda campaign.
2 Mitigation + Adaptation required re #climate: heat waves require clean energy + a/c … // Jul 3, 2015 at 10:15 am
[…] ← Marie (@JudithCurry) Antoinette’s solution to #Climate #heatwaves + #EnergyPoverty: “Let… […]
3 O's digest (non richiesto) - Ocasapiens - Blog - Repubblica.it // Jul 4, 2015 at 8:32 am
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