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Why unfortunately? Are you suggesting that air conditioning sidewalks in Qatar is a luxury? Because the only other option I can think of is for people to leave

Why unfortunately? Are you suggesting that air conditioning sidewalks in Qatar is a luxury? Because the only other option I can think of is for people to leave Qatar. It’s far from a luxury.

ABeeSea 6y ago
Unfortunate for climate change. The heat from those ACs has to go somewhere. And they emit greenhouse gases. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/countries-crank-ac-emissions-potent-greenhouse-gases-are-likely-skyrocket https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/countries-crank-ac-e...
- Tade0 6y ago
  Those greenhouse gases have of course a measurable effect, but I believe it's still the energy source that's responsible for most of the carbon footprint here. Especially if the units are supplied with electricity generated from burning oil.
- tonmoy 6y ago
  If all AC is running on solar power then would it be heating up the earth anymore than the sunlight would have on its own?
  - manfredo 6y ago
    Yes, because air conditioning units have net positive heat generation. Though they usually use water as their heat sinks, and if that water is flushed then it effectively eliminates the heat in a practical sense if not a thermodynamic sense. Reply in comment, since HN is rate limiting my VPN. > Yes, because air conditioning units have net positive heat generation. Though they usually use water as their heat sinks, and if that water is flushed then it effectively eliminates the heat in a practical sense if not a thermodynamic sense. This is assuming that the terrain without solar panels would convert as much energy into heat as the solar panels are collecting. In reality the terrain without solar panels reflects a lot of the energy it receives, whereas solar panels are optimized to absorb as much of it as possible.
    - benchaney 6y ago
      This is wrong. The net positive heat generation comes from the energy that the ACs consume. If they are entirely running on solar power this energy would have become heat anyway.
      - smadge 6y ago
        Unless that energy would otherwise be reflected back out of the atmosphere.
  - ABeeSea 6y ago
    There’s a local effect that creates a feedback loop across the region which would then in turn change global weather patterns. https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2014-05-excess-air-conditioners-higher-nighttime.amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2014-05-excess-ai...
snypher 6y ago
There must be alternatives to trying to battle the sun in this way. Could people spend more time indoors, like in extreme Artic environments, or even possibly underground?

Why unfortunately? Are you suggesting that air conditioning sidewalks in Qatar is a luxury? Because the only other option I can think of is for people to leave Qatar. It’s far from a luxury.

ABeeSea 6y ago

Unfortunate for climate change. The heat from those ACs has to go somewhere. And they emit greenhouse gases. https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/countries-crank-ac-emissions-potent-greenhouse-gases-are-likely-skyrocket https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/countries-crank-ac-e...

Tade0 6y ago
Those greenhouse gases have of course a measurable effect, but I believe it's still the energy source that's responsible for most of the carbon footprint here. Especially if the units are supplied with electricity generated from burning oil.
tonmoy 6y ago
If all AC is running on solar power then would it be heating up the earth anymore than the sunlight would have on its own?
- manfredo 6y ago
  Yes, because air conditioning units have net positive heat generation. Though they usually use water as their heat sinks, and if that water is flushed then it effectively eliminates the heat in a practical sense if not a thermodynamic sense. Reply in comment, since HN is rate limiting my VPN. > Yes, because air conditioning units have net positive heat generation. Though they usually use water as their heat sinks, and if that water is flushed then it effectively eliminates the heat in a practical sense if not a thermodynamic sense. This is assuming that the terrain without solar panels would convert as much energy into heat as the solar panels are collecting. In reality the terrain without solar panels reflects a lot of the energy it receives, whereas solar panels are optimized to absorb as much of it as possible.
  - benchaney 6y ago
    This is wrong. The net positive heat generation comes from the energy that the ACs consume. If they are entirely running on solar power this energy would have become heat anyway.
    - smadge 6y ago
      Unless that energy would otherwise be reflected back out of the atmosphere.
- ABeeSea 6y ago
  There’s a local effect that creates a feedback loop across the region which would then in turn change global weather patterns. https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2014-05-excess-air-conditioners-higher-nighttime.amp https://www.google.com/amp/s/phys.org/news/2014-05-excess-ai...

snypher 6y ago

There must be alternatives to trying to battle the sun in this way. Could people spend more time indoors, like in extreme Artic environments, or even possibly underground?