I have always preferred cold weather to hot – and yesterday London suffered its hottest day in recorded history – 35.3 degrees C (96 F). There may be Americans out there who scoff at such weather but in countries like the UK homes don’t have air conditioning and office air conditioners often don’t work (because they are rarely needed!)
Fortunately it’s a little better today but the latest is that the temperature may go back up on the weekend. This is the last thing I need now that I am trying to put together the first draft of my dissertation – I can hardly think! The rest of Europe is suffering, too…
That’s gross, especially (as you say) without air conditioning.
My brain melts whenever the temperature goes above 25°C, so I don’t envy you…
Comment by Harald — 7 August 2003 @ 4:16 pm
Get used to it. What part of human induced climate change don’t you understand? Climate change alters the weather. Mostly climate change warms. I would suggest we have it worse in Australia. We already live on the edges of an ancient dustbowl, while Australia and New Zealand are the first countries to see a steady rise in maximum average temperatures.
So when you think of the technology like the internet think of all the tonnes and tonnes of carbon dioxide that the businesses who made the computers and supplied the electricity had to dump into the very atmosphere from which the whole society lives in.
So far we have used up about 1/4 of all hydrocarbons, including 1/2 of all oil deposits. Do you think the markets will burn the rest of the fossil fuels? I’d say so. Will that be a disaster. I’d say so. This is called an environmental war econony. It will also happen sooner than you think.
Comment by ABliss — 12 August 2003 @ 6:00 am