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Comment by PraetorianGourd | Hacker News Reader

I think any European below the 47th parallel North should have at least considered some form of AC.

At some point there is an odd disconnect between accepting living spaces need to be heated in Winter but rejecting they should be cooled in the Summer.

Amd I get it. It sucks that Europe needs AC in the Summer now, but unfortunately no amount of “I told you so” blog posts will keep anyone from heat sickness. So lets accept the world as it is now, mitigate against the risks and try not to make things worse.

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Installing AC everywhere will make things worse, because of the massive polluting production and energy demand.

I believe changing the way of life and enabling old customs like siesta would be a much more climate friendly short term solution.

Have you tried to nap when the temperature outside is 41c and you have no air conditioning? I have. It is not possible.

Where I live, we hit 46c last year. I brought a portable AC to my mom, it was 32c in her 2nd story bedroom after sunset. Yeah of course those temps are not unheard of in some regions. But I am north of the 45th parallel. It isn’t normal and a “siesta” won’t make it so.

We fucked up, the planet is getting hotter. We need to adapt. Where I live, electricity is mainly generated through hydroelectric dams. Yeah, it fucks up the fish, but it is better than coal or methane. And yes, I will unabashedly run my AC to make my home habitable. It isn’t accepting defeat, it is allowing us to live.

I wonder, as you wrote this reply, what was the temperature inside your home? I am sure you will tell us with the same zeal that was behind your original reply. If not, kindly keep your “customs” to yourself while people die of heat sickness in their homes.

Dude, you simply can't pay the electricity bills for AC. I mean, you can if you have good income, but prices are much higher than the US and salaries are much lower.

In Portugal, you can just not afford it on normal wages (I'm not counting tech workers and "digital nomads" (who only make things worse))

Sure, you might be able to purchase the system and get it installed, but energy costs are astronomical.

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