4 ms·

> Nobody needs permission to live comfortably where they're at. You don't need a palace, a AC-cooled beach and a couple Bentleys to live comfortably. The peopl

by mrpopo 6y ago

> Nobody needs permission to live comfortably where they're at. You don't need a palace, a AC-cooled beach and a couple Bentleys to live comfortably. The people in the UAE that are using problematic amounts of fossil fuels are not just "living comfortably". Point being, it would reduce power consumption probably 2 orders of magnitudes more to stop cooling down beaches and pools than to switch a bunch of lights to ultra-efficient LEDs. > It is far more sustainable to live in a warm climate, with electric cooling (keeping in mind electricity comes from cleaner sources like nuclear and solar) vs living in a cold climate with gas heating. You forgot to mention the world "palace". It is far more energy-efficient to heat 40m2 per person than it is to cool down 400m2 per person. You are also conveniently ignoring reality. The UAE electricity production is 99% fossil fuels (mainly petrol/gas). It is also possible to live in a cold climate with electric heating (regular electric or heat pumps). Most northern countries are much more advanced in this area.

diebeforei485 6y ago
I am not sure a single "cooled beach" even exists. Do you have a cite other than a 13-year old article from a clickbait tabloid? Also there aren't really all that many mansions and palaces. The median home size is larger in the USA than it is in Dubai. Add R-1 zoning and the longer average driving distances and it becomes clear that the average American has a bigger carbon footprint. Finally, there is a difference between what is possible in theory and what is achievable in practice. Retrofitting every home and building to go from gas heating to electric heating is not very easy. Moving electricity to cleaner sources, on the other hand, is well under way with nuclear and solar.
- mrpopo 6y ago
  > it becomes clear that the average American has a bigger carbon footprint. First, this is just not true. UAE's per capita footprint is 21tCO2eq/yr while in the USA it's 15.7 as of 2017. Second, neither UAE nor the USA are close to the per capita footprint targets that we should reach in order to stabilize the climate (between 1 and 3tCO2eq/yr). Just as I wouldn't care much if a murderer killed 15 or 21 people. They are not an example for me to follow. Regarding cooled beaches, here is a Guardian article about it. It cites other luxurious excesses that you're trying to brush off, such as : 30,000 mature trees are scheduled to be shipped to Dubai to help landscape a new Tiger Woods-designed golf course that will be bordered by "22 palaces and 75 mansions". https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/dec/18/artificial-beach-dubai-environment https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/dec/18/artifici... > Finally, there is a difference between what is possible in theory and what is achievable in practice. Retrofitting every home and building to go from gas heating to electric heating is not very easy. > Moving electricity to cleaner sources, on the other hand, is well under way with nuclear and solar. In practice, both of these things have to be done urgently, with an extra-focus on energy use reduction. It doesn't matter if rich people in Dubai don't like it. It is also much more easily achievable than building spaceships to Mars, or whatever other escape solution to the growing damage we are inflicting to our planet.

by mrpopo 6y ago

diebeforei485 6y ago

I am not sure a single "cooled beach" even exists. Do you have a cite other than a 13-year old article from a clickbait tabloid? Also there aren't really all that many mansions and palaces. The median home size is larger in the USA than it is in Dubai. Add R-1 zoning and the longer average driving distances and it becomes clear that the average American has a bigger carbon footprint. Finally, there is a difference between what is possible in theory and what is achievable in practice. Retrofitting every home and building to go from gas heating to electric heating is not very easy. Moving electricity to cleaner sources, on the other hand, is well under way with nuclear and solar.

mrpopo 6y ago
> it becomes clear that the average American has a bigger carbon footprint. First, this is just not true. UAE's per capita footprint is 21tCO2eq/yr while in the USA it's 15.7 as of 2017. Second, neither UAE nor the USA are close to the per capita footprint targets that we should reach in order to stabilize the climate (between 1 and 3tCO2eq/yr). Just as I wouldn't care much if a murderer killed 15 or 21 people. They are not an example for me to follow. Regarding cooled beaches, here is a Guardian article about it. It cites other luxurious excesses that you're trying to brush off, such as : 30,000 mature trees are scheduled to be shipped to Dubai to help landscape a new Tiger Woods-designed golf course that will be bordered by "22 palaces and 75 mansions". https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/dec/18/artificial-beach-dubai-environment https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2008/dec/18/artifici... > Finally, there is a difference between what is possible in theory and what is achievable in practice. Retrofitting every home and building to go from gas heating to electric heating is not very easy. > Moving electricity to cleaner sources, on the other hand, is well under way with nuclear and solar. In practice, both of these things have to be done urgently, with an extra-focus on energy use reduction. It doesn't matter if rich people in Dubai don't like it. It is also much more easily achievable than building spaceships to Mars, or whatever other escape solution to the growing damage we are inflicting to our planet.