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People lived in the north prior to the invention of electricity, so it's possible. Maybe more difficult now due to the quantity of firewood that would be needed

People lived in the north prior to the invention of electricity, so it's possible. Maybe more difficult now due to the quantity of firewood that would be needed with a larger population? Architecture (and dense urban development) plays an important role in electricity-free livability across various climate conditions. Some buildings work well in the cold, some work well in the heat. That's not to say you as an individual can address these problems, but society as a whole can design urban systems which support low-energy living in even difficult conditions.

falcolas 6y ago
> but society as a whole can design urban systems which support low-energy living in even difficult conditions. What's the forcing function? It's already been proven that a global climate crisis is not enough to move society. It's not profitable enough to convince corporations to do it. The 0.1% have no cause to do it; even the humanitarians among that group have much better investments they can make. EDIT: Also, in the past, living in the north without electricity was managed by burning wood and coal. Given the significant increase in population the impact to the environment of burning all that would be irrecoverable on its own.
- bumby 6y ago
  >It's not profitable enough to convince corporations to do it. Can policy not make it profitable? It seems like regulation can be a means of creating market incentives. It worked well for leaded gas, I tend to think a carbon tax/market may work
  - bilegeek 6y ago
    At best, like leaded gas, it will take about 30 years, which in this case is far, FAR too late. At worst, there is no way that anything approaching that sort of regulation will ever fly in today's political system. Period.
    - lovecg 6y ago
      Seems to be working quite well in Europe [0]. There are reasons to be optimistic. [0] https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/prices-in-the-worlds-biggest-carbon-market-are-soaring https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/p...
nradov 6y ago
Sure northerners can hunt whales and burn the blubber to stay warm just like the indigenous people used to do.
Robotbeat 6y ago
People lived in the north without electricity but they've NEVER lived in the north without fire. And there aren't enough trees in the north. Iceland (for instance) cut all of theirs down for heating and other uses. Similar to the British Isles. They turned to burning peat and coal to stay warm (etc). Others have mentioned whale blubber. Unless you live near a hot springs, electricity is actually the best we've got for staying warm in the north with the least carbon emissions. Nuclear, wind, hydro, or geothermal are all valid options for producing this electricity in the North. Probably in combination and probably with some storage (batteries plus occasional hydrogen?) and heatpumps to increase the efficiency. So in fact, USE electricity. In the Global South, solar reigns supreme as far as the least expensive energy source.

falcolas 6y ago

> but society as a whole can design urban systems which support low-energy living in even difficult conditions. What's the forcing function? It's already been proven that a global climate crisis is not enough to move society. It's not profitable enough to convince corporations to do it. The 0.1% have no cause to do it; even the humanitarians among that group have much better investments they can make. EDIT: Also, in the past, living in the north without electricity was managed by burning wood and coal. Given the significant increase in population the impact to the environment of burning all that would be irrecoverable on its own.

bumby 6y ago
>It's not profitable enough to convince corporations to do it. Can policy not make it profitable? It seems like regulation can be a means of creating market incentives. It worked well for leaded gas, I tend to think a carbon tax/market may work
- bilegeek 6y ago
  At best, like leaded gas, it will take about 30 years, which in this case is far, FAR too late. At worst, there is no way that anything approaching that sort of regulation will ever fly in today's political system. Period.
  - lovecg 6y ago
    Seems to be working quite well in Europe [0]. There are reasons to be optimistic. [0] https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/prices-in-the-worlds-biggest-carbon-market-are-soaring https://www.economist.com/finance-and-economics/2021/02/24/p...

nradov 6y ago

Sure northerners can hunt whales and burn the blubber to stay warm just like the indigenous people used to do.

Robotbeat 6y ago

People lived in the north without electricity but they've NEVER lived in the north without fire. And there aren't enough trees in the north. Iceland (for instance) cut all of theirs down for heating and other uses. Similar to the British Isles. They turned to burning peat and coal to stay warm (etc). Others have mentioned whale blubber. Unless you live near a hot springs, electricity is actually the best we've got for staying warm in the north with the least carbon emissions. Nuclear, wind, hydro, or geothermal are all valid options for producing this electricity in the North. Probably in combination and probably with some storage (batteries plus occasional hydrogen?) and heatpumps to increase the efficiency. So in fact, USE electricity. In the Global South, solar reigns supreme as far as the least expensive energy source.